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Astronomers Detect and 'Weigh' Very Young Solar System

Posted by Soulskill on from the 8.3x10^29-pounds,-4-ounces dept.

ogre7299 writes "Astronomers have found direct evidence of a forming proto-solar system and 'weighed' the forming star for the first time The results were reported in Nature (abstract) and the pre-print is available at the arXiv. 'The star, called L1527 IRS, is only one-fifth the mass of the sun, and is expected to keep growing as the swirling disk of matter surrounding it falls into its surface. Astronomers estimated the star formed around the same time that Neanderthals evolved on Earth: just 300,000 years ago. ... Generally, a star forms from a cloud of gas that collapses into itself. Material streams inward from the cloud and forms a protostar in the center of a disk of gas and dust. Over millions of years, material falls on the protostar and releases quite a bit of energy. In L1527, 90 percent of its energy comes from material landing on the surface of the protostar. The remaining 10 percent comes from the star itself.' Measurements for the research came from the Submillimeter Array and the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy."

21 comments

  1. Who Knew? by Press2ToContinue · · Score: 3, Funny

    Who knew that Neanderthal gas could be so potent? Must have been all that woolly mammoth chili. "A cloud of gas that collapses into itself" sounds like it would knock the poop outta ya though.

    --
    Sent from my ENIAC
  2. Weighed? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    It sounds easy to find its weight (force due to gravity). Here at earth, that solar system weighs approximately 0 N.

    1. Re:Weighed? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They weighed its mass, not its weight.

    2. Re:Weighed? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought the force due to gravity of the solar system (at least the sun) from Earth was closer to 3.5*10^22 N. The apparent weight would happen to be pretty small, if you could stick the solar system on a "scale" in approximately the same orbit trajectory.

    3. Re:Weighed? by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 2

      They weighed its mass, not its weight.

      They measured its mass.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    4. Re:Weighed? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Verbs can do more than one thing, otherwise by the same logic you cannot "measure its mass", you can only measure a measurement, give a gift, see a sight, and say a saying.

    5. Re:Weighed? by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

      That's not the same logic. The verb "to weigh" intrinsically means, in a way that the far more generic "measure" does not - if one is being picky for the sake of a slightly snarky Slashdot post - the measurement of weight. My point was to suggest that you cannot weigh an object's mass any more than you can time its length or smell its colour.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    6. Re:Weighed? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Let's be constructive here. Allowing the verb "weigh" to apply to mass is a lesser evil than replacing "weigh" with "measure the mass of" in the title and everywhere in astronomy.

    7. Re:Weighed? by RaceProUK · · Score: 1

      a lesser evil than replacing "weigh" with "measure the mass of" ... everywhere in astronomy.

      You do know that's exactly what they do in astronomy, since they are only concerned about mass, not weight?

      --
      No colour or religion ever stopped the bullet from a gun
    8. Re:Weighed? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about they calculated its mass/weight. Or more accurately, they estimated its mass/weight, seeing that there are many unknowns to that calculation.

  3. Posty correction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    The post is incorrect. The homepage for the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA) is actually http://www.mmarray.org .

  4. Doesn't sound like a good place to go by rossdee · · Score: 3, Funny

    "The star, called L1527 IRS"

    Not a good destination for interstellar travelers - they already collect taxes there.

  5. Stellar obesity by meetpi · · Score: 1

    After weighing the young star system, astronomers have become concerned that young star may be obese. Stellar obesity is becoming an epidemic in the young star population these days, and astronomers are concerned that if something doesn't change soon, bans will need to be introduced on the advertising and possibly the consumption of junk proto-planetary dust and related materials. According to a recent report, stellar obesity costs the nation an estimated 10.3 trillion dollars in medical costs and lost productivity each year.

  6. They worked up to it by gmhowell · · Score: 2, Funny

    They didn't just start out with little solar systems. They first started by weighing less heavy things, like Richard Stallman prior to bathing.

    --
    Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
    1. Re:They worked up to it by VortexCortex · · Score: 1

      They didn't just start out with little solar systems. They first started by weighing less heavy things, like Richard Stallman prior to bathing.

      Bathing is a big deal for *nix neckbeards. I don't think you grasp the true gravity of the situation.

      For instance: We are covered in little fur, "naked" except on the head and in stink causing regions. This is because our ancestors were likely aquatic, much like nearly all other mammals that have buoyant insulating fat focused predominantly in the exterior of their bodies along with a lack of fur... Dolphins, whales, hippos, etc. The growth of fragrance-hair is an adaptation that, unsurprisingly, is triggered around the beginning of sexual maturity (puberty) -- The hair is there to help us stink! There's an evolutionary advantage in smelling as we do. Additionally, the skin surface's bacteria colony is antagonistic to other forms of bacterial infection. Furthermore, the science of human immune systems shows that the mildly dirtier folks are more healthy.

      To take a bath we must weigh many facets of our existance. Too often and we increase chances of infection, weakening of immune systems, and lessen beneficial body odors. Too seldom and we risk keeping the public at large from socializing with us due to smell -- Actually, most humans are morons, this is actually a benefit more often than not...

    2. Re:They worked up to it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you're saying RMS is a slob so that he can get all the bitches?

  7. Why weigh on a sunny day? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'd like to take your solar system
    So I could weigh it,
    What do you say?
    Five pounds, six pounds, seven pounds

  8. they should name it by Tastecicles · · Score: 1

    for Sir Patrick Moore, who died earlier today. Story & link to BBC obituary.

    --
    Operation Guillotine is in effect.
  9. It's not a solar system. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's a stellar system. There is only one solar system in the entire Multiverse. Hint: you live on the third planet from Sol.