The age of a starone red giant close to the end of his life, it was measured thanks to his’earthquakes‘, that is to say tiny internal oscillationsand for the first time the estimated age has been compared with traditional techniques, which have the disadvantage of being usable only when there are other stars that revolve around the first.
The result shows that this method, called asterosismologyAnd reliable and accuratebut the implications they go far beyond the simple age of an star: this technique will allow, in fact, to Analyze thousands of ancient stars of the Milky WayAnd reconstruct Like this The evolution of our galaxy over thousands of years.
The study, published in the magazine Astronomy & Astrophysics, was guided by Italy Thanks to the University of Bologna, with the participation of the National Institute of Astrophysics.
Measure the mass of a solitary star It is very complicated: If there are no other partner starsIndeed, It is not possible to use the classic Method based on the laws of gravity. However, it exists another waywhich uses the tiny variations of light caused by internal oscillations.
“The stars vibrate in a similar way to musical instruments: inside them they propagate acoustic waves That the entire structure swing“says Andrea Miglio of the University of Bologna, among the authors of the study led by Jeppe Sinkbæk Thomsen.” These oscillations resonate at different frequencies according to the internal properties of the star, just like the sound of an instrument depends on its shape, size and material. By studying these frequencies – continues Miglio – we can determine their mass and therefore estimate their age “.
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