Read the Beforeitsnews.com story here. Advertise at Before It's News here.

By Alton Parrish (Reporter)
Contributor profile | More stories

Story Views
Now:
Last hour:
Last 24 hours:
Total:

The First Stars in the Milky Way: What They Can Tell Us

Monday, June 20, 2016 7:43

% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.

No one has yet observed the first stars that formed in the Milky Way. In all likelihood, they will never be directly observed, because the first stars are massive, ending their lives only a few millions years after their birth.

But, astronomers can study those oldest stars by examining the elements these stars produce through nuclear fusion and the supernova explosions that mark the spectacular ends of their short lives.

Timothy Beers, the Notre Dame Chair in Astrophysics, is part of a team that has used the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on the Hubble Space Telescope to study key regions of the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum of a star thought to have been enriched by elements from one of the first generation of stars. This star, named BD+44 493, is the brightest known second-generation star in the sky. While examining its UV spectrum, Beers and his team detected several elements that had never been seen before in such a star. Their findings were published today in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The ninth-magnitude star BD+44 493 (center) is by far brightest among the stars in this area.

TCredit: DSS images from STScI and AAO/ROE

Beers and his team detected phosphorus and sulphur–which had never been seen previously, and zinc–which had only been seen in one such second-generation star. They compared the amounts of each element to model predictions to learn about the nature of one of the first stars.

Their work is the first to use COS on the Hubble Space Telescope to study the elements in ancient stars. These never-before-seen products of one of the first stars reveal that the particular star that introduced these atoms into space was likely massive, probably more than 20 times more massive than our own Sun, and exploded as a relatively faint supernova.

At present, only the Hubble Space Telescope can collect the UV spectra needed to study these elements in ancient stars. These results foreshadow the exciting possibilities to study dozens or even hundreds of these ancient stars with the next generation of UV spectrographs on space telescopes, like the High Definition Space Telescope now under consideration by NASA.

Contacts and sources:

Timothy Beers
University of Notre Dame

Authors of the study are Ian U. Roederer at the University of Michigan, Vinicius M. Placco at the University of Notre Dame, and Timothy C. Beers.

Source:

Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world.

Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.

"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.

Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world. Anyone can join. Anyone can contribute. Anyone can become informed about their world. "United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.

LION'S MANE PRODUCT

Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules

Mushrooms are having a moment. One fabulous fungus in particular, lion’s mane, may help improve memory, depression and anxiety symptoms. They are also an excellent source of nutrients that show promise as a therapy for dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases. If you’re living with anxiety or depression, you may be curious about all the therapy options out there — including the natural ones.Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend has been formulated to utilize the potency of Lion’s mane but also include the benefits of four other Highly Beneficial Mushrooms. Synergistically, they work together to Build your health through improving cognitive function and immunity regardless of your age. Our Nootropic not only improves your Cognitive Function and Activates your Immune System, but it benefits growth of Essential Gut Flora, further enhancing your Vitality.

Our Formula includes: Lion’s Mane Mushrooms which Increase Brain Power through nerve growth, lessen anxiety, reduce depression, and improve concentration. Its an excellent adaptogen, promotes sleep and improves immunity. Shiitake Mushrooms which Fight cancer cells and infectious disease, boost the immune system, promotes brain function, and serves as a source of B vitamins. Maitake Mushrooms which regulate blood sugar levels of diabetics, reduce hypertension and boosts the immune system. Reishi Mushrooms which Fight inflammation, liver disease, fatigue, tumor growth and cancer. They Improve skin disorders and soothes digestive problems, stomach ulcers and leaky gut syndrome. Chaga Mushrooms which have anti-aging effects, boost immune function, improve stamina and athletic performance, even act as a natural aphrodisiac, fighting diabetes and improving liver function. Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules Today. Be 100% Satisfied or Receive a Full Money Back Guarantee. Order Yours Today by Following This Link.

Comments

Visits:	1,707,426,497
Stories:	8,447,808