ESO Science Release 48/09 – Brightness Variations of Sun-like Stars: The Mystery Deepens
by Alexandre Costa on Dec.07, 2009, under ESO, Satellites, Probes and Telescopes, Stars
Source: ESO
Artists impression of stellar evolution. Credit ESA
An extensive study made with ESO’s Very Large Telescope deepens a long-standing mystery in the study of stars similar to the Sun. Unusual year-long variations in the brightness of about one third of all Sun-like stars during the latter stages of their lives still remain unexplained. Over the past few decades, astronomers have offered many possible explanations, but the new, painstaking observations contradict them all and only deepen the mystery. The search for a suitable interpretation is on.
The release and an image are available on:
http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2009/pr-48-09.html
