. 24/7 Space News .
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Cosmic dust that formed our planets traced to giant stars
by Staff Writers
Edinburgh, UK (SPX) Jan 31, 2017


While AGB stars are known to produce vast amounts of dust, the composition of grains recovered from meteorites did not seem to match those expected from these stars, researchers say.

Scientists have identified the origin of key stardust grains present in the dust cloud from which the planets in our Solar System formed, a study suggests. Researchers have solved a long-standing puzzle concerning the source of the grains, which formed long before our Solar System and can be recovered from meteorites that fall to Earth.

The stars that produced the dust were identified by observing how key reactions shaped the make-up of the grains, scientists say.

During their lifetime, stars around six times larger than the Sun - called Asymptotic Giant Branch or AGB stars - blow off their outer layers, forming an interstellar cloud of gas and dust grains.

Our Solar System is believed to have formed from such a cloud around 4.6 billion years ago, the team says. While most of the grains were destroyed in the process of making new rocks and planets, a small fraction survived and is present in meteorites.

The chemical composition of the dust grains reveals important clues about the nuclear processes inside stars that led to their formation, the team says. Until now, however, tracing the origin of the grains to AGB stars had proven difficult.

While AGB stars are known to produce vast amounts of dust, the composition of grains recovered from meteorites did not seem to match those expected from these stars, researchers say.

The study solves this puzzle by identifying in the make-up of some meteoritic dust grains the effect of the nuclear reactions that occur in AGB stars.

A team of nuclear physicists found that fusion reactions between protons and a form of oxygen that is heavier than the type we breathe - called 17O - occur twice as often as was previously thought.

The effect of these nuclear reactions is clearly observed in some stardust grains found in meteorites, resolving the mystery of their origin, the team says.

The discovery was made by an international team of researchers, including scientists at the University of Edinburgh, at an underground laboratory in Italy.

The Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics - or LUNA - is located more than 1km beneath the Earth's surface. The facility is hosted by the Italian Institute for Nuclear Physics Gran Sasso Laboratory.

The study is published in the journal Nature Astronomy. The LUNA Collaboration involves around 40 scientists from 14 institutions in Italy, Germany, Hungary and the UK.

Professor Marialuisa Aliotta, of the University of Edinburgh's School of Physics and Astronomy, who led LUNA's UK team, said: "It is a great satisfaction to know that we have helped to solve a long-standing puzzle on the origin of these key stardust grains. Our study proves once again the importance of precise and accurate measurements of the nuclear reactions that take place inside stars."

Dr Maria Lugaro, of Konkoly Observatory, Hungary, who led the study, said: "The long-standing question of the missing dust was making us very uncomfortable: it undermined what we know about the origin and evolution of dust in the Galaxy. It is a relief to have finally identified this dust thanks to the renewed LUNA investigation of a crucial nuclear reaction."


Comment on this article using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
University of Edinburgh
Stellar Chemistry, The Universe And All Within It






Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Both push and pull drive our galaxy's race through space
Jerusalem, Israel (SPX) Jan 31, 2017
Although we can't feel it, we're in constant motion: the earth spins on its axis at about 1,600 km/h; it orbits around the sun at about 100,000 km/h; the sun orbits our Milky Way galaxy at about 850,000 km/h; and the Milky Way galaxy and its companion galaxy Andromeda are moving with respect to the expanding universe at roughly 2 million km/h (630 km per second). But what is propelling the Milky ... read more


STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Full Braking at Alpha Centauri

New Era of Space Travel: Private Station May Replace ISS by Late 2020

The Outer Space Treaty has been remarkably successful - but is it fit for the modern age?

Progress MS-03 cargo spacecraft to reenter January 31

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
ISRO tests C25 Cryogenic Upper Stage of GSLV MkIII

NASA sounding rocket launches into Alaskan night

SmallGEO's first flight reaches orbit

Russia to check space flight engines over faulty parts

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Meteorite reveals 2 billion years of volcanic activity on Mars

Opportunity marks 13 years of ground operations on Mars

Similar-Looking Ridges on Mars Have Diverse Origins

Commercial Crew's Role in Path to Mars

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
China looks to Mars, Jupiter exploration

China's first cargo spacecraft to leave factory

China launches commercial rocket mission Kuaizhou-1A

China Space Plan to Develop "Strength and Size"

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Iridium Adds Eighth Launch with SpaceX for Satellite Rideshare

Space, Ukrainian-style: Through Crisis to Revival

ESA Planetary Science Archive gets a new look

Iridium-1 NEXT Launched on a Falcon 9

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
NASA's New Shape-Shifting Radiator Inspired by Origami

Space Traffic Management

Japan 'space junk' collector in trouble

Anatomy of a debris incident

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
New planet imager delivers first science at Keck

Dedicated Planet Imager Opens Its Eyes to Other Worlds

First footage of a living stylodactylid shrimp filter-feeding at depth of 4826m

SF State astronomer searches for signs of life on Wolf 1061 exoplanet

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Public to Choose Jupiter Picture Sites for NASA Juno

Experiment resolves mystery about wind flows on Jupiter

Pluto Global Color Map

Lowell Observatory to renovate Pluto discovery telescope









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.