. 24/7 Space News .
IRON AND ICE
Surrey academics develop a new method to determine the origin of stardust in meteorites
by Staff Writers
Guildford UK (SPX) Aug 12, 2020

File image of stardust found in meteorite samples

Scientists have made a key discovery thanks to stardust found in meteorites, shedding light on the origin of crucial chemical elements.

Meteorites are critical to understanding the beginning of our solar system and how it has evolved over time. However, some meteorites contain grains of stardust that predate the formation of our solar system and are now providing important information about how the elements in the universe formed.

In a study published by Physical Review Letters, researchers from the University of Surrey detail how they made a key discovery connected to the "pre-solar grains" found in primitive meteorites. This discovery has provided new insights into the nature of stellar explosions and the origin of the chemical elements. It has also provided a new method for astronomical research.

Dr Gavin Lotay, Nuclear Astrophysicist and Director of Learning and Teaching at the University of Surrey, said: "Tiny pre-solar grains, about one micron in size, are the residuals of stellar explosions that occurred in the distant past, long before our solar system existed. Stellar debris eventually became wedged into meteorites that, in turn, crashed into the Earth."

One of the most frequent stellar explosions to occur in our galaxy is called a nova, which involves a binary star system consisting of a main sequence star orbiting a white dwarf star - an extremely dense star that can be the size of Earth but has the mass of our Sun. Matter from the main star is continually pulled away by the white dwarf because of its intense gravitational field. This deposited material initiates a thermonuclear explosion every 1,000 to 100,000 years and the white dwarf ejects the equivalent of the mass of more than thirty Earths into interstellar space. In contrast, a supernova involves a single collapsing star and, when it explodes, it ejects almost all of its mass.

As novae continually enrich our galaxy with chemical elements, they have been the subject of intense astronomical investigations for decades. Much has been learned from them about the origin of the heavier elements, for example. However, a number of key puzzles remain.

Dr Lotay continues: "A new way of studying these phenomena is by analysing the chemical and isotopic composition of the pre-solar grains in meteorites. Of particular importance to our research is a specific nuclear reaction that occurs in novae and supernovae - proton capture on an isotope of chlorine - which we can only indirectly study in the laboratory."

In conducting their experiment, the team, led by Dr Lotay and Surrey PhD student Adam Kennington (also a former Surrey undergraduate), pioneered a new research approach. It involves the use of the Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking In-beam Array (GRETINA) coupled to the Fragment Mass Analyzer at the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS), USA. GRETINA is a state-of-the-art detection system able to trace the path of gamma rays (g-ray) emitted from nuclear reactions. It is one of only two such systems in the world that utilise this novel technology.

Using GRETINA, the team completed the first detailed g-ray spectroscopy study of an astronomically important nucleus, argon-34, and were able to calculate the expected abundance of sulfur isotopes produced in nova explosions.

Adam Kennington said: "It's extremely exciting to think that, by studying the microscopic nuclear properties of argon-34, it may now be possible to determine whether a particular grain of stardust comes from a nova or a supernova."

Research paper


Related Links
University Of Surrey
Asteroid and Comet Mission News, Science and Technology


Thanks for being there;
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 Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


IRON AND ICE
Iron-rich meteorites show record of core crystallization in system's oldest planetesimals
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 07, 2020
New work led by Carnegie's Peng Ni and Anat Shahar uncovers new details about our Solar System's oldest planetary objects, which broke apart in long-ago collisions to form iron-rich meteorites. Their findings reveal that the distinct chemical signatures of these meteorites can be explained by the process of core crystallization in their parent bodies, deepening our understanding of the geochemistry occurring in the Solar System's youth. They are published by Nature Geoscience. Many of the meteorit ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



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

IRON AND ICE
A QandA on the Demo-2 mission

Power, bones, bubbles and other Weightless action on the Space Station

Roscosmos teases names of next year's ISS tourist group flight

Richard Branson space-bound in early 2021 says Virgin Galactic

IRON AND ICE
Russia wants to return to Venus, build reusable rocket

NASA completes crucial test of moon rocket's propulsion system

ABL Space Systems begins RS1 stage testing and reaches $90mm in funding

New footage of US hypersonic glide body impacting target unveiled by the Army

IRON AND ICE
NASA scientists leverage carbon-measuring instrument for Mars studies

Rice researchers use InSight for deep Mars measurements

NASA's MAVEN observes Martian night sky pulsing in ultraviolet light

Lava tubes on Mars and the Moon are so wide they can host planetary bases

IRON AND ICE
China seeks payload ideas for mission to moon, asteroid

China marching to Mars for humanity's better shared future

From the Moon to Mars: China's long march in space

Tianwen 1 probe to soon blast off for Mars

IRON AND ICE
Exolaunch awarded contracts to deliver Swarm Satellites into orbit on Falcon 9

SES selects SpaceX for launch of new C-Band satellites

SES selects ULA to launch two C-Band satellites to accelerate C-Band clearing

Hisdesat And XTAR Complete Transaction For XTAR-EUR Satellite

IRON AND ICE
First laser detection of space debris in daylight

Scientists find way to track space junk in daylight

Transforming e-waste into a strong, protective coating for metal

Return of the LIDAR

IRON AND ICE
Hubble uses Earth as a Proxy for identifying oxygen on exoplanets

VLBA finds planet orbiting small, cool star

Surprisingly dense exoplanet challenges planet formation theories

Deep sea microbes dormant for 100 million years are hungry and ready to multiply

IRON AND ICE
Ammonia sparks unexpected, exotic lightning on Jupiter

Shallow Lightning and Mushballs reveal ammonia to Juno scientists

NASA's Webb Telescope Will Study Jupiter, Its Rings, and Two Intriguing Moons

NASA Juno takes first images of Ganymede's North Pole









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.