There is a strange object at the edge of our galaxy

Scientists in detail He analyzed the star J0931+0038 and found it to be very strange. The data obtained indicate that they could have formed from matter created after the explosion of another star with a mass of at least 50 solar masses.

Meanwhile, according to current theories, this ancient giant star should have collapsed directly into a black hole, and not been produced Supernova Especially “foreign elements” should not be accumulated in advance.

As astronomer Alex Gee of the University of Chicago and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), who led the study, says: We've never seen anything like this before. Whatever happened next, it must have been amazing. We named it [protoplastę supernowej] “Barbenheimer star“Because of its amazing nucleosynthesis.

Scientists point out that the origin of most elements in space is “the field of stars,” but rather they are their factories. The first stars were born mainly from hydrogen and helium, which formed soon after the great explosion.

Nucleosynthesis occurs inside starsIt is a process during which new atomic nuclei are created as a result of the fusion of protons and neutrons (nucleons), or of already existing nuclei and nucleons. In this way, heavier items can be created.

But this has its limits, because the formation of elements in stars ends with iron. Heavier elements are formed during Neutron capture reaction (This is a nuclear reaction in which the atomic nucleus adds a neutron or neutrons, forming a new, heavier nucleus.)

Supernova nucleosynthesis However, it occurs during star explosions and is largely responsible for the elements between oxygen and rubidium. The new elements thrown into space are then incorporated into the newly formed stars. Therefore, the chemical composition of these cosmic bodies allows scientists to discover their history.

Star J0931+0038 It is a low-mass red giant, located in the spherical region of space surrounding the disk of our galaxy, and it is called the galactic halo. This is where scientists look for clues about the early universe.

The star itself was discovered in 1999, but only now have scientists conducted detailed research. Spectrum analyzes revealed a unique, never-before-seen chemical composition.

Scientists point out that the star is poor in elements with odd numbers in the periodic table (including sodium and aluminum), but at the same time it is rich in elements similar to iron (nickel and zinc). Moreover, another surprising discovery was that This body contains a much higher percentage of elements heavier than iron than it should (m.in. strong to palladu).

Scientists concluded that most of the mentioned elements must have come from them One sourceThat is, stars with a mass of 50 to 80 solar masses. Its material was ejected during the supernova and was also incorporated into J0931+0038 during its formation.

– Surprisingly, there is no existing model of elemental composition that can explain what we see […] This whole arrangement of elements seems almost contradictory, says scientist Sanjana Curtis of the University of California, Berkeley, who co-led the study.

So far, scientists have not found a satisfactory complete explanation for this “elemental confusion”, but they state that they will continue to search for similar UFOs – thanks to which it will be possible Their development model.

The research results were published on the platform arXiv It has been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.