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An international team of scientists, led by Professor Phillip Lucas at the University of Hertfordshire, has made a groundbreaking discovery, altering our knowledge of the universe and the Milky Way. Over the last 10 years, this group of scientists has spent time surveying our night sky.
During this long search, scientists in this group have been able to locate protostars, or newborn stars, which over time undergo outbursts of extreme magnitude, leading to the formation of a brand new solar system.
A large number of these stars are hidden from visible light (what the eyes can see), largely due to dust in the solar system, which means scientists required the help of more advanced telescopes to confirm the presence of these protostars.
Scientists from many different countries came together to carry out their research. Professor Phillip Lucas said, "About two-thirds of the stars were easy to classify as well-understood events of various types.” Dr. Zhen Guo, professor at the University of Valparaiso in Chile, said, "our main aim was to find rarely-seen newborn stars, also called protostars, while they are undergoing a great outburst that can last for months, years, or even decades.”
Dr. Guo also added that we do not yet understand why the disks producing solar systems have become so unstable, but the eruptions are still mostly ongoing and scientists are still continuing to analyze data. Also, during this study, scientists were able to locate a new type of red giant star, located close to the center of the Milky Way galaxy we call home.
"Matter ejected from old stars plays a key role in the life cycle of the elements, helping to form the next generation of stars and planets," Professor Lucas said. "This was thought to occur mainly in a well-studied type of star called a Mira variable. However, the discovery of a new type of star that throws off matter could have wider significance for the spread of heavy elements in the Nuclear Disk and metal-rich regions of other galaxies."
Artist's impression of a cloud of smoke and dust being thrown out by a red giant star. Seen from the left the star remains bright but if viewed from the right it fades to invisibility. Credit: Philip Lucas/University of Hertfordshire
Artist's impression of an eruption in the disc of matter around a newborn star. The innermost part of the disc becomes hotter than the star itself. Credit: Philip Lucas/University of Hertfordshire
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