Weird metallic star moving 2 million miles an hour to leave our galaxy

Researchers published a paper in the Astrophysical Journal Letters that explores a star traveling towards the edge of our galaxy.

@JakConnorTT

Published Aug 2, 2021 2:45 AM CDT
Updated Aug 31, 2021 4:41 PM CDT

55 seconds read time

A new study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters explored the star labeled as LP 40-365, a unique fast-moving star.

Weird metallic star moving 2 million miles an hour to leave our galaxy 01

So, what is LP 40-365, and why is it moving towards the edge of the Milky Way galaxy at such speeds? The fast-moving star is actually shrapnel from a larger star exploding in a supernova. JJ Hermes, Boston University College of Arts & Sciences assistant professor of astronomy, said, "This star is moving so fast that it's almost certainly leaving the galaxy...[it's] moving almost two million miles an hour."

The researchers behind the paper say that observing LP 40-365 gives astronomers more knowledge on stars that have undergone a similar fate. The fast-moving star is described as "star shrapnel", and it's primarily comprised of metals, and while being some of the fastest stars ever detected, they are also some of the most metal-rich stars ever observed. For more information on this story, check out this link here.

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NEWS SOURCES:newsbreak.com, iopscience.iop.org

Jak Connor

Jak joined the TweakTown team in 2017 and has since reviewed 100s of new tech products and kept us informed daily on the latest science, space, and artificial intelligence news. Jak's love for science, space, and technology, and, more specifically, PC gaming, began at 10 years old. It was the day his dad showed him how to play Age of Empires on an old Compaq PC. Ever since that day, Jak fell in love with games and the progression of the technology industry in all its forms. Instead of typical FPS, Jak holds a very special spot in his heart for RTS games.