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
|
|
Wednesday, March 11
Firefly Rocket Launch at Vandenberg Delayed for Second Day in a Row
Noozhawk — 6:53 am ET (1053 GMT) A meteor soared across Europe—and possibly hit a house
Popular Science — 6:52 am ET (1052 GMT) The tiny lens antenna with big potential
ESA — 6:52 am ET (1052 GMT) Starlink’s Pricing Shift: A Bait and Switch for General Aviation
Flying — 6:52 am ET (1052 GMT) Kenyan regulator audits Starlink’s D2C service for interference issues
Developing Telecoms — 6:51 am ET (1051 GMT) |
