The Earth is a less volatile version of the Sun, according to a study



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This image shows the bright light of a solar flare on the left side of the sun and an eruption of solar material pulling through the sun's atmosphere, called an important eruption. Credit: NASA / Goddard / SDO

ANU scientists have discovered that the Earth is made up of the same elements as the Sun but contains fewer volatile elements such as hydrogen, helium, oxygen, and l & # 39; nitrogen.

Dr. Haiyang Wang, lead author of the study, said that the best estimate of the composition of the Earth and the Sun had been sought in order to create a new tool for measuring the elemental composition of other stars and planets rocks that gravitate around them.

"The composition of a rocky planet is one of the most important missing pieces in our efforts to determine whether a planet is livable or not," said Dr. Wang of the School of Research. Astronomy and Astrophysics of the ANU (RSAA).

Other rocky planets of the universe are devolatilized pieces of their host stars, just like the Earth.

Associate Professor Charley Lineweaver, co-author and colleague of RSAA, said that each star was surrounded by some planetary system.

"Most stars probably have rocky planets in or near the habitable zone," he said.

Professor Trevor Ireland, co-author of the ANU School of Earth Sciences Research, said the team had conducted the study by comparing the composition of the rocks terrestrials with meteorites and the outer envelope of the Sun.

"This comparison provides a wealth of information on the formation of the Earth.There is a remarkably linear volatility trend that can serve as a basis for understanding the relationships between meteorite, planet and star compositions." , did he declare.

The research will be published in the journal Icarus.


Explore further:
Powerful planetary magnetic fields like the Earth could protect oceans from stellar storms

More information:
Trend of the volatility of the abundances of protosolar and terrestrial elements, arXiv: 1810.12741 [astro-ph.EP] arxiv.org/abs/1810.12741

Journal reference:
Icarus

Provided by:
Australian National University

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