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Elements from the universe’s earliest stars gave birth to our sun

Elements from the universe’s earliest stars gave birth to our sun

15 July 2020

It is easy to regard the sun as humdrum, yet it contains elements blasted from the universe’s first stars as they died and is halfway through its 9-billion-year lifespan


The sun

The young sun spun slowly, which could explain why we are here

22 May 2019

The makeup of the moon shows that the young sun rotated slower than other similar stars, leaving the early solar system relatively calm so life could arise


Earth may be made up of rocks blasted by gusts of solar wind

Earth may be made up of rocks blasted by gusts of solar wind

6 December 2018

The area in our solar system within Mercury’s orbit is empty, which may be because solar winds threw all the rocks farther out, where they helped form planets


telescope

We don’t need stars to navigate space - black holes work way better

5 December 2018

If you want to find your way across the universe, forget using stars or GPS. The light from quasars billions of light years away can guide us and even help here on Earth


The Sun review – a shiny blockbuster for London’s Science Museum

The Sun review – a shiny blockbuster for London’s Science Museum

11 October 2018

Mesmerising footage from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory and an exquisite Bronze Age golden disc help a new show capture our complex relationship with the sun


The sun shrinks and grows again by 2 kilometres every 11 years

The sun shrinks and grows again by 2 kilometres every 11 years

20 July 2018

The sun’s size changes throughout its 11-year cycle of magnetic activity, and measuring that growth may help us figure out what’s going on inside


planet

Why weird star systems are where we'll find alien life

18 July 2018

In the hunt for life beyond Earth, we've been looking for planets and stars like our own. But that is flawed – and a new plan promises answers in our lifetimes


The sun will die in a blaze of swirling gas in 5 billion years

The sun will die in a blaze of swirling gas in 5 billion years

7 May 2018

We used to think our sun was too small to produce a planetary nebula when it dies, but new models show it will indeed go out in a massive cloud of bright, hot gas


Gamma rays from the sun are acting weird and nobody knows why

Gamma rays from the sun are acting weird and nobody knows why

24 April 2018

A survey of the sun’s radiation turned up two surprises: a dip in low-energy gamma rays, and far more high-energy gamma rays than predicted. And nobody knows why


probe 1

Mission Icarus: Inside the daring plan to touch the sun

27 March 2018

The Parker Solar Probe is about to unlock the secrets of our star by flying into its fiery atmosphere – a mission that will push technology to the limit


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