Stellar lithium deficiency linked to planet formation
Posted: Thu, Nov 12, 2009, 7:24 AM ET (1224 GMT)
A deficiency of lithium in a star's atmosphere may be a sign of the presence of planets, astronomers reported this week. In a paper in the journal Nature, astronomers surveyed 30 Sun-like stars known to have planets and found nearly all had unusually low levels of lithium, just as the Sun does. Astronomers speculate that the presence of planets robs the stars of angular momentum, causing them to spin more slowly; this, in turn, causes the lithium in the atmospheres to fall to the surface and be destroyed.
A deficiency of lithium in a star's atmosphere may be a sign of the presence of planets, astronomers reported this week. In a paper in the journal Nature, astronomers surveyed 30 Sun-like stars known to have planets and found nearly all had unusually low levels of lithium, just as the Sun does. Astronomers speculate that the presence of planets robs the stars of angular momentum, causing them to spin more slowly; this, in turn, causes the lithium in the atmospheres to fall to the surface and be destroyed.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Saturday, October 3
ETH Space Researcher Thomas Zurbuchen Joins Blue Origin
Blue News — 12:21 am ET (0421 GMT) Swiss space researcher Thomas Zurbuchen to join Blue Origin
Swissinfo — 12:21 am ET (0421 GMT) With Elon Musk’s Return to Washington, Possible Conflicts of Interest Resurface
New York Times — 12:19 am ET (0419 GMT) World Space Week 2026: How Rocket Revolution is reshaping exploration
The Federal (India) — 12:17 am ET (0417 GMT) Could we ever create artificial gravity on a spaceship?
LiveScience — 12:16 am ET (0416 GMT) |
