Stars can reveal a lot about the universe. They are the basic entities of this cosmos. Studying their surface temperature can be very useful to determine the properties of the star. Recently scientists discovered a star named HD 140283 or the Methuselah star that appears to be older than the universe.

Methuselah star is a G type subgiant star that has 4 times the luminosity of the Sun and has twice its radius. Methuselah star is not burning hydrogen into helium in its core as it has exited the main sequence phase.

By studying the iron content of the Methuselah star, astronomers found its maximum age to be 14.6 billion years, a number greater than 13.8 billion years which is the age of the universe. The minimum age of Methuselah star is around 13.6 billion years so the possibility that this star formed after the big bang cannot be ignored. But if it is older than 13.8 billion years, then we need to reconsider the expansion rate of the universe, a parameter from which the age of the universe is calculated.

Video created by: Rishabh Nakra
Thanks to: NASA Goddard and Videoblocks

The Secrets Of The Universe is a well known social media platform on Physics and Astronomy. We have over half a million followers on Facebook.

Our Online Presence
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
Website: www.secretsofuniverse.in
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Pinterest: [ Ссылка ]

свернуть