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An artistic representation of the star using spectral badysis
(Image: NASA / CXC / M. Weiss, X-ray Spectrum : NASA / CXC / MIT / HMGünther)
The X-ray telescope Chandra evidently witnessed for the first time how a star devours one of its young planets.
Scientists may have observed a young exoplanet destroyed by its star. This is reported by NASA and refers to a data badysis of the Chandra X-ray telescope. This has been used to study the star RW Aur A, who has been tracking astronomers since 1937. Every few decades it's darker, but it's still hurting. Recently, these failures have become more frequent and last longer. With Chandra, researchers were now able to know which elements of the star were obscured in each case.
Iron Treacherous
According to recent obscurations was triggered by a dense gas that revolves around the star. In 2017, large amounts of iron were responsible for the power outage. This could be due to the fact that two planetesimals (planet precursors) or young planets collided. If any of them were made of iron, it could have been thrown in large quantities in space and now plunge into the star. Then we would watch the consequences of the collision.
However, scientists recognize that other possible explanations are possible. Thus, iron could be bound in the protoplanetary disk, which has been released by an external influence. This could be done by the gravitation of the neighboring star RW Aur B. The researchers now want to further observe the star to find out what causes are actually responsible for the blackout. , Hubble and Spitzer composite record of supernova residue Cbadiopeia A
(Image: NASA / CXC / SAO)
Planet devoured again
RW Aur A is located in the Taurus-Ariga complex, in which there is has a lot of young stars. They are often surrounded by a disc of gas and rotating dust. According to current theories, these protoplanetary disks last about 5 to 10 million years until the material has condensed in certain places to create planets. However, they do not have to form a stable planetary system, but they can collide with each other and the remains of the star are engulfed – as apparently happened with RW Aur A. [19659012] (mho)
