stars Archives

International Astronomy Day: Seeking the stars

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International Astronomy Day started in 1973 by Doug Berger. As the then president of the Astronomical Association of Northern California, he wanted to make astronomy more accessible to the public. While it may feel that space is infinitely remote, the study and celebration of what space is and may contain is a truly down-to-earth matter. By studying the stars, scientists […]

Galactic archaeology: Using chemical abundances to map our galaxy’s history

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Professor Francesca Matteucci discusses recent observations in 'galactic archaeology' and how chemical elements can tell us how the galactic formations occurred

The different chemical elements we observe across the Milky Way have gone through drastically different formation processes – which have taken place on drastically different timescales. Crucially for astronomers, these differences can be clearly seen in the abundances of chemical elements contained in stars today, providing important clues about our Galaxy’s distant past. In a new overview, Professor Francesca Matteucci […]