There seems to be one thing unusual feeding the “immortal” stars on the heart of our galaxy
Not like celebrities, these stars will not exit.
Everlasting flame
The middle of the Milky Method’s swirling vortex is a wierd place, with a supermassive black gap emptying interstellar matter and supernovae blasting hapless stars to the sides of our galaxy.
Add one other bizarre factor about our galaxy’s core, in keeping with new analysis: stars that keep younger indefinitely by feeding off darkish matter particles, one thing like continuously firing lighter fluid right into a burning grill.
A crew of scientists from Stanford College and Stockholm put ahead this potential state of affairs about why some stars on the heart of the Milky Method are improbably younger utilizing laptop simulations and taking into consideration the presence of plentiful darkish matter within the galactic core, as detailed in A new paper that has not yet been peer-reviewed They posted on-line the place he was spotted before Live sciences.
The researchers have been attracted by the unusual indisputable fact that there are stars near the black gap in our galaxy It seems to be very small Nevertheless, they stay in a neighborhood that isn’t conducive to the formation of nascent stars, they usually have “spectroscopic options of extra developed stars,” the paper states.
Scientists’ conclusion? That there’s a unusual drive that retains these stars “immortal” is within the newspaper’s selection of wording.
ceaselessly younger
Different researchers have completely different theories about why there are such a lot of younger stars on the heart of the Milky Method. One theory It’s that the celebrities rushed to the neighborhood of the nucleus, and this journey is what ignited the formation of those nascent stars.
However Isabelle Jun, a PhD scholar in astroparticle physics at Stockholm College and lead creator of the brand new examine, mentioned: Dwell sciences She and her fellow researchers wished to know if darkish matter was an element on this unusual phenomenon.
They ran laptop simulations, Which strongly means that these stars could also be older than they seem, and preserve their vibrant glow by feeding on the darkish matter surrounding them.
These stars seize darkish matter particles with their gravity, the idea goes, and the particles collide with one another and launch highly effective bursts of power into the celebrities.
This power acts like interstellar Botox, conserving these stars in a suspended state of youth – primarily remaining “immortal” – even after they run out of inside gas for nuclear fusion.
“Stars burn hydrogen in nuclear fusion,” John mentioned. Dwell sciences. “The ensuing exterior stress balances out the inner stress attributable to gravitational forces, conserving the celebrities in a steady equilibrium.”
Superior new telescopes could possibly affirm these laptop simulations, shedding fascinating new gentle on not less than one thriller on the coronary heart of our galaxy, researchers say.
Extra about darkish matter: Scientists say Earth could also be swimming in darkish matter
