Skip to main content

Look into Stellar Rotation and Artificial Intelligence.

Image
By Surendra Uikey

 


In August 2012, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured a mesmerizing image of our Sun adorned with sunspots, offering a glimpse into the dynamic nature of stellar surfaces. Much like our Sun, other stars across the cosmos bear similar features known as starspots, which manifest as fluctuations in brightness as they rotate in and out of view. Leveraging these variations, astronomers can discern crucial details about a star's rotation period, shedding light on its age and evolutionary trajectory. Enter NASA's groundbreaking initiative, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Set to embark on a cosmic journey, this pioneering telescope will embark on a mission to collect brightness measurements for hundreds of thousands of stars nestled in the heart of our Milky Way galaxy. Through meticulous observations, it aims to unravel the intricacies of stellar rotation rates, paving the way for a deeper understanding of stellar evolution and the formation of celestial bodies.

Guessing someone's age at a carnival might be a whimsical game, but for astronomers, determining the ages of stars presents a real challenge. Despite the serene appearance of stars like our Sun once they settle into steady nuclear fusion, understanding their ages remains elusive. However, advancements in technology, such as NASA's upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, are poised to revolutionize our understanding of stellar populations in the Milky Way galaxy.


Stars are born spinning rapidly, but over billions of years, stars similar in mass to our Sun gradually slow down due to interactions between their magnetic fields and stellar winds. This phenomenon, known as magnetic braking, provides a crucial clue to a star's age. By measuring the rotation periods of hundreds of thousands of stars, astronomers can estimate their ages and delve into the formation and evolution of our galaxy.


One innovative approach involves analyzing changes in a star's brightness caused by starspots, akin to sunspots on our Sun. Using artificial intelligence, particularly convolutional neural networks, astronomers can extract rotation periods from these observations. This method, pioneered by a team at the University of Florida, holds promise for accurately measuring stellar rotation periods even with data from telescopes like NASA's TESS.


The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, set to launch by May 2027, will play a pivotal role in this quest for stellar ages. Through its Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey, the telescope will observe hundreds of millions of stars in the crowded region near the center of our galaxy. These observations will not only aid in understanding stellar rotation rates but also facilitate diverse scientific investigations, from detecting exoplanets to unraveling the mysteries of star formation.


As the astronomical community continues to refine survey strategies for the Roman Space Telescope, studies like the one funded by NASA on stellar rotation will provide valuable insights. By leveraging cutting-edge technology and collaboration across institutions, astronomers are poised to unlock the secrets of the cosmos, one star at a time.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Reveals New Details of the Orion Nebula’s Star Formation.

By Surendra Uikey
  This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image captures the Orion Nebula (Messier 42, M42), the nearest star-forming region to Earth, located about 1,500 light-years away. A captivating new image captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope offers an extraordinary look into the Orion Nebula, the nearest massive star-forming region to Earth. Located just 1,500 light-years away, this nebula is visible to the naked eye below the three stars forming Orion's "belt." The region is home to hundreds of newborn stars, including two protostars featured in the image: HOPS 150 and HOPS 153. Named after the Herschel Orion Protostar Survey, conducted with ESA’s Herschel Space Observatory, the protostars HOPS 150 and HOPS 153 provide key insights into the early stages of star formation. HOPS 150, visible in the upper-right corner of the image, is a binary star system, with two young stars orbiting one another. These protostars are surrounded by small dusty disks, where material from th...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Method Detects Small Asteroids in Main Belt, Offering Insight for Planetary Defense.

By Surendra Uikey
  An international team of physicists, led by MIT researchers, has developed a groundbreaking method to detect small asteroids, as small as 10 meters in diameter, within the main asteroid belt. These space rocks, ranging from the size of a bus to several stadiums wide, were previously undetectable using traditional methods. The team's discovery, detailed in a paper published in Nature, could significantly improve tracking of potential asteroid impactors, aiding planetary defense efforts. The main asteroid belt, located between Mars and Jupiter, is home to millions of asteroids, but until now, scientists could only detect objects roughly a kilometer in diameter. The new detection technique, which utilizes the "shift and stack" method, is able to identify much smaller asteroids, even those far from Earth, enabling more precise orbital tracking. This breakthrough is crucial for planetary defense, allowing scientists to spot near-Earth objects that may pose a threat in the fu...
Post a Comment
Read more

XSPECT Payload Successfully Validates Performance through Cas A Observation.

By Surendra Uikey
  The XSPECT instrument captures a detailed spectrum of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A), encompassing both the Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) background and the Cosmic X-ray Background (CXB). The flux observed above 8 keV predominantly results from the combined contributions of CXB and GCR. The presented spectrum, depicted in the figure, is derived from a cumulative integration time of 20 ksec, collected across multiple orbits, providing valuable insights into the X-ray emissions associated with Cas A. XPoSat, India's inaugural X-ray polarimetric mission, has achieved a significant as the XSPECT instrument captures its initial observations from the Cassiopeia A (Cas A) supernova remnant. Launched on January 1, 2024, XPoSat is equipped with two co-aligned instruments, namely the POLarimeter Instrument in X-rays (POLIX) and X-ray SPECtroscopy and Timing (XSPECT). This mission is designed to unravel the mysteries of cosmic X-ray sources. While POLIX focuses on examining X-ray po...
Post a Comment
Read more