2024-01-30 08:15:56
From the visual perspective of Earth, some stars that would be visible from other points in the cosmos located at the same distance as our world, are virtually undetectable. A new study has delved into the scope of this phenomenon, investigated how common it can be, and offers some explanations for the natural camouflage mechanism that hides these stars from the gaze of human observers.
The study was carried out by a team led by Philip Lucas, from the Astrophysics Research Center at the University of Hertfordshire, in the United Kingdom.
Researchers have concluded that many of these hidden stars are hidden only because a thick cloud of dust emitted by each star stands between the star and us.
If you observe with the necessary patience a point in the cosmos that houses a star of this type, sooner or later you will end up seeing it “appear” from nowhere or “disappear”.
Some of these stars are near the end of their lives, going through the stage where they have swelled into red giants. Others are nascent stars (protostars) surrounded by leftover material.
Artist’s recreation of a cloud of dust and gas ejected by a red giant star. Viewed from the left, the star remains bright in visible light, but if viewed from the right, it is undetectable in visible light. (Image: Philip Lucas/University of Hertfordshire)
It is suspected that many of these hidden stars are in the central area of our galaxy.
Such hidden stars cannot be seen in visible light because the dust and gas between them and the Earth are opaque to this light. Yes, it is possible to glimpse them in infrared light.
The study is titled “The most variable VVV sources: eruptive protostars, dipping giants in the nuclear disc and others.” And it has been published in the academic journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. (Source: NCYT from Amazings)
#hidden #stars #cosmos