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Researchers at NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory watched a young star devour a planet.
For decades, scientists have observed an irregular gradation of RW Aur A, a young star in the Taurus-Auriga constellation. According to Hans Moritz Guenther, a researcher at the Kavli Institute of Astrophysics and Space Research at MIT and lead author of the study, questions about this star have intensified as its decline . Physicists studying the phenomenon have observed RW Aur A using NASA's Chandra X-ray observatory, and the researchers believe that they may have found the reason for this mitigation: This young star " "eat a planet," Guenther told Space.com. 19659002] Based on Chandra's new observations, Guenther's team believes that two infantile planetary bodies (at least one of which is large enough to be a planet) collide, and the debris of this crash falls into RW Aur A. This debris would create a "veil" of gas and dust that could obscure the light of the star, according to a statement by Chandra. [The Puzzle of ‘Tabby’s Star’: 9 NASA Explanations for Star’s Odd Dimming]
An artistic illustration of the young star RW Aur A devouring planetary debris. Source: NASA / CXC / M. Weiss; X-ray Spectrum: NASA / CXC / MIT / HM Günther
"Computer simulations have long predicted that planets may fall into a young star, but we have never observed this before," Guenther said in a statement. the statement. "If our interpretation of the data is correct, it would be the first time we will directly observe a young star devour a planet or planets."
In a previous observation of the young star in 2017, astronomers found 10 times more iron from the disk of dust and gas that continues to surround the star than a previous observation had found in 2013, according to the release. And "this iron must come from somewhere," Guenther told Space.com. Guenther and his colleagues suggest that this iron must come from planetary debris around the star that has "broken" into the collision between the two infantile planetary bodies.
"Whenever we saw him [RW Aur A] he looked very different from the front," Guenther told Space.com, referring to the iron levels of the star and the luminosity. The researchers believe that previous graduation events with the young star may have also been caused by similar collisions, according to the release.
But, while Guenther and his team think that this merger might have released iron and materials into the star. Guenther told Space.com that it's just as likely that small pieces of material (such as iron) could be captured in a "dust trap", in which the material is trapped in the disk of dust and gas around the star until sudden changes in the disc cause the release of the material. This material, including iron, could then "fall" into the nearby star.
But the proof is clear that the "iron must come from the disc, the young stellar disk where the planets form around the star". there is a "fairly large amount of iron that comes from somewhere in a short time – that's what we know."
The team will again observe the young star to see if the amount iron has changed and hopefully events. By studying this star, researchers hope to get a better idea of what is really going on in a young star's life and how infantile planets manage to survive, according to the statement. ] [email protected] or follow it @chelsea_gohd . Follow us @Spacedotcom Facebook and Google+ . Original article on Space.com
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