All About Space Magazine Issue 66 Vorige editie

NEW DISCOVERY: DARK STARS
A star dies. A sudden flash of light signifies the end in a supernova explosion. This, however, is only part of the life cycle of stars, as the rich material created during the death throes of the star is ejected into space by the supernova. When the next generation of stars form, they sweep up the leftovers of the supernova, and thus accrete the metals that the dying star produced metals being the term that astronomers use for anything heavier than hydrogen and helium. Metals are important; without them, the disc of gas and dust surrounding a newly forming star could not create rocky planets. But if new stars recycle the metals produced in the deaths of old stars, what did the very first stars do? Well in this issue, we explore, if Dark Stars, powered by dark matter, could be responsible for our existence along with the appearance of today’s universe.