SDSS J102915+ 172927 strange star

[Ras72]

In September 2011 the star SDSS J102915+172927 has been observed in the Constellation of Leo. It has been found to be 20,000 times poorer in metals than the Sun which would suggest it is incredibly old (13bn years). Yet its mass is only 0.8 times that of the sun while the stars that formed at that time are thought to have had masses millions of times greater. Also the Lithium fraction is 50 times lower and it lacks the metals concentrations thought to be necessary for it to have formed. While other metals poor stars have been observed, this seems the most extreme example. So I thought, half jokingly, whether it could be... mmmhh... how can I put it... "artificial". I mean could it be, in principle, a propulsion or power device created by an advanced species, seeing how it burns almost exclusively hydrogen and helium?

Edited April 24, 2012 by Ras72

[imatfaal]

Ras - do you have any links to the articles with those figures in?

[Ras72]

Ras - do you have any links to the articles with those figures in?

 

I read about it in Scientific American and confirmed it googling the star designation

[Airbrush]

It has been found to be 20,000 times poorer in metals than the Sun which would suggest it is incredibly old (13bn years). Yet its mass is only 0.8 times that of the sun while the stars that formed at that time are thought to have had masses millions of times greater.

 

Few stars can be found with masses greater than 100 solar masses. Is a star of millions of solar masses even possible? I think only a supermassive black hole can have that great a mass.

 

Yes, please provide a link.

[JustinW]

http://www.science20.com/news_articles/sdss_j102915172927_star_shouldnt_exist-82121 Noting the fact that they have found a few similar candidates, I would say that the propulsion idea is out of the question, but the answer to the riddle is still interesting none the less.

[Ras72]

Ok so I answered myself. I opened a thread in the Nasa Space Flight forum and after some interference and assorted wastes of time it was established that the spectra lines would be different. So it's not a propulsion device. Good.

[space noob]

vy canis majoris, a star that is undeniably a billion times larger than the sun, however it will burn up much quicker

[imatfaal]

vy canis majoris, a star that is undeniably a billion times larger than the sun, however it will burn up much quicker

 

I deny that undeniable fact.

 

 

Mass ~30-40 M_☉

Radius ~1,800-2,100R_☉

Luminosity ~450,000L_☉

Temperature ~3,000 K

 

From Wikipedia

[RichIsnang]

Is it possible that the star was formed from gas that was created in the big bang, but was really spread out so took ages to form a star? By ages I mean like 12.5 billion years?

Edited May 11, 2012 by RichIsnang