A new Northwestern University-led study published in the journal Nature Astronomy has developed the first three-dimensional computer simulations that model in detail the flow of heat and energy inside gigantic cosmic bodies. Thanks to these simulations, it will be possible to better understand what is going on inside these huge celestial bodies and how a star shines or flickers as a result.Video released showing the inner mystery of the stars
Stars have a very hot substance inside them, similar to the action of boiling water or ocean waves. To explain how these movements occur, to give an example, we can compare the inside of the star to a pot of water boiling on the stove. Just as water bubbles up in the vessel, so does the plasma in the high-temperature stellar core rise to the surface.
Modeling this complex process can help astronomers better understand how stars evolve and collapse at the end of their life cycles, thereby unraveling the mystery of how galaxies formed and perhaps even how our universe came into existence in the first place.
All stars have a convective zone where heat and energy flow from the core to the surroundings. When this flow hits the environment, it causes waves known as gravitational waves, which reverberate throughout the star causing the star to flicker or shine. To better understand this phenomenon, the team created computer simulations that model the convection flow of heat and energy inside a massive star, using previously collected data to predict the quivering quality of stars, or “stellar photometric variability,” as the paper calls it.
Thanks to the model obtained as a result of the study and simulation, for the first time, it will be possible to determine how much a star should shine as a result of these waves. Similarly, if waves can be measured, it can be precisely calculated how large the star’s core is, when it has reached the Han phase of its life, and how large a black hole it will leave behind if it is to form.
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