An astronomer from Texas has discovered why some stars, despite their advanced age, are able to burn brighter and hotter, according to Texas University's McDonald Observatory. These stars, also called "blue stragglers," defy scientific logic, as scientists have tried for the longest time to figure out what could be causing what appears to be a rejuvenation.
Natalie Gosnell and her team used the Hubble space telescope to try and solve the mystery once and for all. The team's research supports the theory of mass transference, where one star will spill out into another.
"Until now there was no concrete observational proof, only suggestive results," said Gosnel. "It's the first time we can place limits on the fraction of blue stragglers formed through mass transfer."
To test her theory, she and the team monitored the star cluster NGC 188, and found that there were 21 blue stragglers, according to Space Ref. Of those, seven had signs of mass transference.
"Open clusters really are the best laboratory for the study of stellar evolution," said Gosnell. "They have a simple stellar population."
The technology of today helped influence the study, and Gosnell and the team plan on continuing using the 2.7-meter Harlan J. Smith telescope as well.
