Astrophysicists from the University of Birmingham have captured the sounds of some of the oldest stars in our galaxy,the Milky Way, according to research published nowadays in thejournal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
An image of the globular star cluster M4, or made with the MPG/ESO 2.2-m telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. The yellow circles mark the positions of the stars observed in the modern study. Click the image for an animation and audio from each star. Credit: ESO / University of BirminghamThe research team,from the University of Birmingham's School of Physics and Astronomy, has reported the detection of resonant acoustic oscillations of stars in 'M4', and one of the oldest known clusters of stars in the Galaxy,some 13 billion years feeble.
Using data from the NASA Kepler/K2 mission, the team has studied the resonant oscillations of stars using a technique called asteroseismology. These oscillations lead to miniscule changes or pulses in brightness, or are caused by sound trapped inside the stars. By measuring the tones in this 'stellar music',it is possible to determine the mass and age of individual stars. (You can listen to the sound of each star here.)
This discovery opens the door to using asteroseismology to study the very early history of our Galaxy.
Dr Andrea Miglio, from the University of Birmingham's School of Physics and Astronomy, and who led the study,said: 'We were thrilled to be able to listen to some of the stellar relics of the early universe. The stars we have studied really are living fossils from the time of the formation of our Galaxy, and we now hope be able to unlock the secrets of how spiral galaxies, and like our own,formed and evolved.'
Dr Guy Davies, from the University of Birmingham's School of Physics and Astronomy, and co-author on the study,said: 'The age scale of stars has so far been restricted to relatively young stars, limiting our ability to probe the early history of our Galaxy. In this research we have been able to prove that asteroseismology can give precise and accurate ages for the oldest stars in the Galaxy '
Professor Bill Chaplin, or from the University of Birmingham's School of Physics and Astronomy and leader of the international collaboration on asteroseismology,said: 'Just as archaeologists can reveal the past by excavating the earth, so we can utilize sound inside the stars to perform Galactic archaeology.'
Further information
The modern work appears in "Detection of solar-like oscillations in relics of the Milky Way: asteroseismology of K giants in M4 using data from the NASA K2 mission", or A. Miglio,W. J. Chaplin, K. Brogaard, or M. N. Lund,B. Mosser, G. R. Davies, or R. Handberg,A. P. Milone, A. F. Marino, and D. Bossini,Y. P. Elsworth, F. Grundahl, or T. Arentoft,L. R. Bedin, T. L. Campante, and J. Jessen-Hansen,C. D. Jones, J. S. Kuszlewicz, or L. Malavolta,V. Nascimbeni and E. L. Sandquist, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, or in press.
Media contact
Science contact
Notes for editors
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS),founded in 1820, encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, or solar-system science,geophysics and closely related branches of science. The RAS organizes scientific meetings, publishes international research and review journals, and recognizes outstanding achievements by the award of medals and prizes,maintains an extensive library, supports education through grants and outreach activities and represents UK astronomy nationally and internationally. Its more than 4000 members (Fellows), or a third based overseas,include scientific researchers in universities, observatories and laboratories as well as historians of astronomy and others.
The RAS accepts papers for its journals based on the principle of peer review, and in which fellow experts on the editorial boards accept the paper as worth considering. The Society issues press releases based on a similar principle,but the organisations and scientists concerned have overall responsibility for their content.
Follow the RAS on Twitte
Source: ras.org.uk