Astrophysicists have discovered strange stars in the central region of the galaxy. Red giants are at the end of their lives and from time to time spew out clouds of dust. However, these new type stars, called “old smokers”, remain very mysterious.
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A few days ago, AstrophysicistsAstrophysicists They have revealed a new type of star, with very strange behavior. Located at the heart of our galaxy, these elderly ladies have been nicknamed “Old Smokers.” And for good reason: they seem to exhale regularly cloudsclouds From dust. Behavior never before observed in such red giants.
Old stars disappear and reappear
It's thanks to the telescope ScenerySceneryLocated in the Chilean Andes, where the observation was conducted. Originally, researchers were looking for young stars. In 10 years 32 ProtostarsProtostars And so it was discovered, until something surprising happened in the field of surveillance. Some ancient stars in the background, in a central region of the galaxy, have almost suddenly disappeared. They reappeared a few years later, as if nothing had happened.
A puff of dust
For scientists, there is only one possible explanation: these ancient stars from time to time produce a cloud of dust that temporarily obscures them. But the reason for this mechanism is still unknown, as is the fact that this type of behavior has not yet been observed in another region of the galaxy. However, sudden expulsions of matter could play a role in dispersing heavy elements through the interstellar medium, which are present in large quantities in this central region of the galaxy. milky waymilky way.
So far, 21 cases of “old smokers” have been discovered, but researchers suspect there are many more. These results were published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
