Astronomers Discover that Stars Can Be Ejected from Home Galaxy




A lifelong resident of Westbury, NY, Valerie Varnuska enjoys exploring the nature trails near her home. In addition, Valerie Varnuska has an interest in astronomy and frequently takes time to view the night skies.

Astronomers recently made a new discovery, based on data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, about what happens to stars. Looking at stars in the Fornax Cluster about 60 million light years from Earth, astronomers found that some stars have the potential to be ejected from their original galaxy.

The Chandra X-ray Observatory recorded data from the Fornax Cluster over a 16-year period. Astronomers noted that the nonsymmetrical recoil blast from a dying supernova creates enough force to knock the resulting neutron stars out of their home galaxy, sometimes even taking companion stars in their orbit with them. 

The research team spotted more than two dozen potential star pairs that were likely ejected from their galaxies. The findings were published in the May 2019 edition of The Astrophysical Journal.

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