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A supernova that exploded near our nascent sun could destroy what would become our solar system — if it wasn’t protected by a shield of molecular gas, according to reports. Live sciences.
Scientists came to this conclusion by studying isotopes of elements discovered in meteorites. These space rocks are parts of asteroids that formed from material that was present when the Sun and then the planets of the solar system formed. As such, meteorites are a type of fossil that allows scientists to reconstruct the evolution of the solar system.
The research team found different concentrations of radioactive aluminum isotopes in the meteorite samples. This information indicates that about 4.6 billion years ago, a large amount of radioactive aluminum reached the ocean of our planet. The best explanation for the presence of this substance to this extent is a nearby supernova explosion, according to the research team investigating it.
Our early solar system may have survived the winds of such a giant explosion, said team members led by Doris Arzoumanian, an astrophysicist at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. They added that the solar system’s birth “cocoon” may have served as a buffer against this shock wave.
Supernova explosions occur when massive, dying stars run out of fuel for nuclear fusion, and their cores can no longer withstand gravitational collapse. As this happens, a huge mass of material, including heavy elements accumulated over billions of years, is blown away with devastating force.
It will be the building block for the next generation of stars, but the explosion could be powerful enough to tear apart nearby newborn planetary systems.
Stars are born in giant clouds of molecular gas made up of dense interstellar “filaments.” Smaller stars, such as the Sun, form along these lines, while larger stars that later go supernova tend to form where these “strings” intersect.
Arzoumanyan and the research team estimate that it took about 300,000 years for the supernova’s shock wave to tear apart the dense “crust” protecting the newborn solar system.
The new findings suggest that in addition to acting as a shield, the spinner can also capture radioactive isotopes and direct them directly into the area around the newborn sun.
The researchers believe their findings could be key to understanding the formation and evolution of stars and their planetary systems.
“This scenario may have several important consequences for understanding the formation, evolution, and properties of stellar systems,” the research team wrote in their study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters in April.
“For example, the ‘host string’ could play an important role in protecting the young solar system from the far-ultraviolet radiation of giant stars, which could evaporate the protocell disk, affecting its final size, which would have a direct impact on planet formation.” . “Inside the disc,” they added.
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