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Thursday, October 11, 2012

The red giant, to learn the fate of our Sun


In space, astronomers found a red giant, around which formed a three-dimensional spiral out of gas. R Sculptors dying star is 1.5 thousand light-years from Earth. Red giant looked through the telescope ALMA in Chile.

Red giants are the latest stage in the evolution of stars. At this stage the star expand and add to its mass, then the mass of stars scattered into space by stellar winds, spreading the substance of the universe, which is necessary for the formation of new stars. After 10-50 thousand years in the red giant burns helium, which is why there is a powerful release of gas that lasts for hundreds of years?

In the study of the spiral around the star R Sculptors determine the frequency of the origin of the thermal fluctuations, as a result, it was reported that about 1,800 years ago, it took place on the star, and that emissions lasted 200 years. In addition, next to the dying star is another star, which is not visible from Earth. As a result of its impact has been formed and gas spiral around a red giant.

All information collected will help scientists to understand the fate of our Sun. After 5 billion years, our Sun will become a red giant and it reaches the Earth's orbit. As a result, our star engulfs the planets Mercury and Venus, and it is likely and our Earth.

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