stellar-physics

Stellar age estimations derived from asteroseismology depend on stellar models that are sensitive to metallicity (Z). Variations in this parameter could alter the agreement between gyrochronological and asteroseismic ages, as well as main sequence lifetimes and observational properties such as effective temperature and luminosity. We test how much typical metallicity differences (±0.2 dex) affect…

New high-resolution simulations reveal that stellar rotation plays a crucial role in transporting material inside red giant stars. Recent advances in supercomputing have helped astronomers solve a long-standing mystery about red giant stars. Scientists have long wondered why the chemical makeup at the surfaces of these stars changes as they age and grow larger. For [...]

We live near a fusion reactor in space that provides all our heat and light. That reactor is also responsible for the creation of various elements heavier than hydrogen, and that's true of all stars. So, how do we know that stars are element generators? Many clues lie hidden in stellar spectra, since they contain fingerprints of various elements cooked up by the stars. Hints about the creation of…

NASA observations have uncovered a strange new clue inside Betelgeuse’s chaotic atmosphere.

AOP’s Dr. Andreas Sander has been involved in a scientific first unravelling the mysteries of rare stars! Within the constellation Cygnus, an elderly star and its massive companion are having one last hurrah, flinging off mass at an incredible rate before they explode as supernovae and collapse into a black […]

A new study published in Nature Astronomy has found that stellar wind could reveal that a second star that circles an old star. The research was done by an international team led by KU Leuven. Previously, scientists have found that when a star gets older, it becomes bigger, colder, and redder. These red giants eject gaseous material and solid particles through a stellar wind. The stellar wind can…