Astronomy Discovery Paper

Astronomy Discovery Paper

Introduction

            The field of astronomy continues to make new advances in new discoveries that continue to shed light on how the universe and its collection of myriad systems operate. Astronomy is still an important aspect of society as it continues to act as the basis upon which humans study the constituents of the sky, navigate oceans, make decisions on when to plant crops and provide answers regarding the origin of human and animal life. It is a revelatory discipline that gives context to the place of human beings in the universe and helps reshape how we view the world around us and the entire universe. In this regard, this paper seeks to discuss one recent astronomical discovery and the potential benefits it could avail in furthering the current understanding we have on the universe’s many operational systems.

Discovery of Pulsating Star HD74423

            Scientists have discovered a new teardrop like pulsating star that weighs about 1.7 times more than the sun and referred to as HD74423 as noted by University of Sydney (2020). Located in the Milky Way and positioned roughly 1500 light years away from the Earth, the star is characterized by one-sided pulsations and a different chemical composition. Although many pulsating stars contain many metals the recently discovered star lacks this attribute, making it an unusual kind of hot star. Pulsating stars have been known for a long time in astronomy and these rhythmic pulsations have also been identified with the sun and with old and young stars. These pulsations can occur for short or long periods and have different causes as well as an expansive assortment of strengths. A common aspect among such pulsating stars is the visibility of the oscillations from all sides. However, HD74423 is different because the star oscillates primarily over one hemisphere. The discovery was courtesy of the scientists researching the data availed by the NASA-owned TESS satellite, which helped in observing changes in the star’s luminosity owing to its pulsations and gravitational distortion.

The star’s position is on the binary star system and it is adjacent to a red dwarf, which, as noted by Redd (2019), makes up the galaxy’s largest star populations. The diagram below shows the new star and the red dwarf..

 Source: Osborne (2020).

The red dwarfs are often too far to be seen from the Earth and their restricted radiance gives them a lifetime that exceeds the Sun’s. The whipping of the red dwarf around its bigger neighbor every two days results in its gravity pulling on HD74423, which twists the bigger star’s surface into a teardrop form and also changes the oscillations. The scientists noted that the strength of the new star’s pulsations depends on the observation angle as well as its corresponding orientation within the binary system, implying that the pulsation strength fluctuates with the same period as the binary’s. The astronomers proved that the pulsations occurred on only one side by noting that the minute oscillations in brightness appeared when the same star’s hemisphere was pointed towards the observation telescope.

Significance

            The discovery of HD74423 provides scientists with the opportunity to gain new insights regarding what happens to various stars, for instance, the sun, when they come to the culmination of their lives and when they are ridded of their material (Rabie, 2019). The well-delineated association between this star’s brightness and its oscillation period implies that scientists can time its light pulsations and determine its intrinsic brightness. They can then compare this intrinsic luminosity to the star’s apparent luminosity, that is, how luminous it appears form the Earth as the vantage point. Since a star usually seems dimmer the farther it is from the Earth, astronomers can thus get a dependable assessment of the star’s distance from this measurement of brightness. Pulsating stars are also helpful in allowing astronomers to understand the processes of stellar formation and evolution as also observed by Niyazova (2017). Scientists can also use the information they derive from studying pulsating stars to estimate the distance between varied galaxies as well as the universes’ expansion rate.

Further, the gravitational interaction in varied systems allows astronomers to detect other inviable objects and also test basic doctrines of physics. This discovery also resonates positively with the need for scientists to acquire new information on myriad aspects of stars, such as brightness, mass, temperature, and span. Further, this discovery will allow scientists to gain vital information on the composition and stricture of the new star, which will provide new information on the stars evolution process. With this new information, scientist can streamline the processes they use in discovering new stars, which will enhance new discoveries in astronomy. Such information can also be used in analyzing the unique behavior of pulsating stars, which will aid in better distinction between various forms of stars. Moreover, it will also be possible for scientists to correlate information from ground- and satellite-based observations, which will then assist them build computerized theoretical models of pulsating stars.

Conclusion

The discovery of the HD74423 star is a clear indication that science is making desirable advances especially in terms of the technology scientists are using to study galaxies and the outer space, as well as the knowledge they are incorporating to interpret the findings they care obtaining continually. Evidently, the new discovery will play a crucial role in helping scientists understand the universe and its collective systems better. For example, new information on pulsating stars will amplify the numerous studies regarding the evolution of the sun. Understanding the Sun’s evolution patterns will help understand the intricacies of climate change and the associated erratic weather patterns, which can then help in the development of better strategies to deal with the problem. Scientists can also use the information availed on the new pulsating star to link it with the existing information on the already discovered similar stars, which can further advance knowledge on other activities occurring inside many active galaxies, such as the occurrence of black holes. Conclusively, with the new discovery, new advances will be gained in understanding the dynamics associated with the acceleration of the entire universe, the varied processes that define planet formation, and even the general interconnectedness of the entire universe.

References

Niyazova, S. (2017). Variables: What are they and why observe them? https://www.aavso.org/variables-what-are-they-why-observe-them

Osborne, H. (2020). First-of-its-kind tear-shaped star that pulsates on just one side discovered.

https://www.newsweek.com/tear-shaped-star-pulsating-one-side-1491670

Rabie, P. (2019). New stars on the cosmic block are fast, bright and pulsating.

https://www.space.com/new-class-of-pulsating-stars-discovered.html

Redd, N.T. (2019). Red Dwarfs: The most common and longest-lived stars. https://www.space.com/23772-red-dwarf-stars.html

University of Sydney. (2020). New type of pulsating star discovered: Astronomers find one-sided pulsator with citizen scientists providing crucial clue. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200309130013.htm#:~:text=Astronomers%20find%20one%2Dsided%20pulsator%20with%20citizen%20scientists%20providing%20crucial%20clue,-Date%3A%20March%209&text=Summary%3A,data%20found%20an%20unusual%20star.&text=A%20star%20that%20pulsates%20on,1500%20light%20years%20from%20Earth.