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Keyword: kueyen

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  • Did the star HD 82943 swallow one of its planets? The VLT Uncovers Traces of Stellar Cannibalism

    09/29/2009 6:03:05 PM PDT · by SunkenCiv · 28 replies · 853+ views
    SpaceRef ^ | Wednesday, May 9, 2001 | European Southern Observatory
    Using the very efficient UVES high-resolution spectrograph at the ESO VLT 8.2-m KUEYEN telescope, they have convincingly detected the presence of the rare isotope Lithium-6 (6Li; [2]) in this metal-rich, solar-type dwarf star that is also known to possess a planetary system, cf. ESO Press Release 13/00. Unlike the Lithium-7 (7Li) isotope of this light element, any primordial Lithium-6 would not survive the early evolutionary stages of a metal-rich solar-type star. The Lithium-6 now seen in HD 82943 must therefore have been added later, but from where? The astronomers believe that this observation strongly suggests that the star has at...