Sound Waves Reveal Details of Alpha Centauri B |
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Written by spacetravel.org
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Monday, 26 December 2005 21:51 |
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Astronomers have performed the most precise measurement yet of the star Alpha Centauri B. The astronomers measured low frequency-waves sound waves that are produced by churning gas in their outer layers. This information can be used to help determine the stars rotation, density, temperature composition and age.
Sound waves produced in the stars interior cause it to pulsate slightly. By watching how the movement of the stars surface stretched or shortened its light, observing the star once a minute for seven nights in a row, the researchers were able to determine the frequency of the sound traveling through the star. They found that the star moved about a dozen metres in 4 minutes, and created 37 diferent types of sound wave.
The research was led by Hans Kjeldsen of Aarhus University in Denmark and utilised the Very Large Telescope in Chile and the Anglo-Australian Telescope in Australia. The fact that the two telescopes are on opposite sides of the Earth allowed the star to be observed almost continuously.
Alpha Centauri B is a member of the group of three stars called Alpha Centauri. They are the closest neighnbours to our sun, only 4.3 light-years away.
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