Accelerating exoplanet discovery using chemical fingerprints of stars
- Written by Natalie Hinkel, Planetary Astrophysicist, Senior Research Scientist at the Southwest Research Institute and Co-Investigator for the Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS), Arizona State University
Planets form from a disc of dust orbiting a star.Mopic/Shutterstock.comStars are born when huge clouds of dust and gas collapse in on themselves and ignite. These clouds are made up of raw elements, like oxygen and titanium, and each cloud has a unique composition that imprints on the star. And within the stellar afterbirth – from the...
Read more: Accelerating exoplanet discovery using chemical fingerprints of stars