Exploring the Mysteries of the Sun: Solar Riddles

Exploring the Mysteries of the Sun: Solar Riddles

Astrophysicists have been studying what happened to form the sun following the Big Bang. A step closer to comprehending what the birth of the sun was truly like is on the rise. A team of experts from Monash University are closely exploring more about this life-giving star. A recent study published in eminent journal Science has indicated that scientists have come closer to finding out more about how the sun was born.

"We can now tell with confidence the final one per cent of gold, silver and platinum, were added to the solar system matter roughly 100 million years before the birth of the Sun," Maria Lugaro, the leading researcher has indicated. "The final one per cent of lead and rare-earth elements, such as those that make your smart phone, was added much later - at most, 30 million years before the birth of the Sun."

The study also indicates that some time after the final elements were added to the complete matter, an incubation period was entered into where the star nursery of the sun was formed. Clouds of dust, gases and high-energy radiations have been used to form the star nurseries. The star nurseries themselves have collapsed under the gravitational forces to form young balls of light which shine with fiery radiance. "We now know this incubation period could not have lasted more than 30 million years. This offers us the chance to determine the lifespan of the nursery where the sun was born, how massive it was and how many stars were born there together," Lugaro has been quoted as saying.

"Understanding the timescales and processes leading to the formation of our solar system is key to relate its birth environment with that of other planetary systems in the galaxy," the scientist has added. The research team now aims to start looking at heavy radioactive nuclei to gain better comprehension of the prehistory of the solar system. The aim is also to improve the accuracy and precision of formation models. Researchers have studied the prehistoric phase of the solar system so that they can gain an understanding of the events that led to the birth of the sun. The research team led by Dr Maria Lugaro and Professor Alexander Heger, from Monash University, used radioactivity to date the last time that heavy elements such as gold, silver, platinum, lead and rare-earth elements were included in the solar system matter by the stars that produced them."

Using heavy radioactive nuclei found in meteorites to time these final additions, we have got a clearer understanding of the prehistory of the solar system," Lugaro has been quoted as saying "We can now tell with confidence the final one per cent of gold, silver and platinum, were added to the solar system matter roughly 100 million years before the birth of the Sun. The final one per cent of lead and rare-earth elements, such as those that make your smart phone, was added much later - at most, 30 million years before the birth of the Sun," Lugaro has also explained.

Lugaro has also indicated that detailed timing has created new opportunities to comprehend the series of events leading to the formation of the sun . Following the addition of heavy elements, the solar system matter entered the incubation period wherein a stellar nursery was formed where the sun was born with numerous other stars. Says Lugaro "Ultimately, we want to have a clear understanding of the circumstances of the birth of our star and the prehistory of the solar system. Understanding the timescales and processes leading to the formation of our solar system is key to relate its birth environment with that of other planetary systems in the galaxy". There is so much more about the sun that scientists need to learn and studies like these are a step in the right direction.