Theory wrong: Star-mass ratio isn't same in all galaxies

William Atkins
Tuesday, 25 August 2009 18:52

Science - Space

A theory was found to be wrong by a group of astronomers after their research shows that there isn’t a particular ratio of high-mass newborn stars to low-mass newborn stars in all types of galaxies. Instead, stars come in a random mix of masses.


Lead researcher in the study, Dr. Gerhardt Meurer (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.), and his team used the CSIRO’s Parkes radio telescope to study a group of galaxies.

According to the media release by CSIRO (“Star-birth myth ‘busted’”), “Since the 1950s astronomers have thought that in a family of new-born stars the ratio of massive stars to lighter ones was always pretty much the same — for instance, that for every star 20 times more massive than the Sun or larger, you’d get 500 stars the mass of the Sun or less."

However, this international team of researchers, lead by Dr. Meurer, has found that this theory to not be true.

Dr. Meurer states, “This was a really useful idea. Unfortunately it seems not to be true.” [CSIRO]

The astronomers found that that the ratio of newborn stars with high masses and those with low masses differs between galaxies.

The team came up with their conclusion by using the HIPASS Survey (HI Parkes All Sky Survey) with the CSIRO’s Parkes radio telescope.

The key elements under their study was the study of hydrogen gas (H-alpha) emissions and far-ultraviolet (FUV) emissions.

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