All articles tagged with #iron 60
Scientists analyzed more than 300 kilograms of Antarctic ice and detected single atoms of iron-60, a radioactive fingerprint from a nearby supernova, suggesting interstellar dust from a stellar explosion traveled to Earth via the Local Interstellar Cloud and offering a new way to study our galactic neighborhood.
Scientists analyzed 40,000–80,000-year-old Antarctic ice and found iron-60, a radioactive byproduct of ancient supernovas, embedded in stardust likely carried through the Local Interstellar Cloud before reaching Earth. The results suggest interstellar dust from stellar explosions can penetrate the solar system, linking our solar neighborhood’s history to past supernovae and offering clues about how interstellar material interacts with our planet.
A new study detects iron-60 in Antarctic ice aged 40,000–80,000 years, tying Earth’s passage through the Local Interstellar Cloud to debris from a past supernova. Using accelerator mass spectrometry on hundreds of kilograms of ice and corroborating isotopes, researchers show the cloud around the Solar System contains material from an ancient stellar explosion, with the iron-60 signal varying over tens of thousands of years and supporting the idea that our cosmic neighborhood records such events.
New Antarctic ice analyses show trace iron-60, a signature of stellar explosions, was delivered to Earth as the solar system moves through the Local Interstellar Cloud. The measured iron-60 levels are lower than some predictions, but the dating (about 40,000–80,000 years ago) aligns with recent estimates that our solar system has been passing through the cloud within roughly 40,000–124,000 years, meaning Antarctica preserves a geological record of this interstellar journey.
Researchers analyzed 40,000–80,000-year-old Antarctic ice for the rare radioactive isotope iron-60 and found lower-than-expected levels, suggesting the Solar System has moved through interstellar cloud complexes (including the Local Interstellar Cloud) over the past 80,000 years. Using accelerator mass spectrometry to count iron-60 in ice samples, the study links variations in interstellar dust flux to the structure of nearby clouds, offering a new way to trace our solar neighborhood’s history—though the precise cloud origins and the amount of iron-60 remain subjects of debate.
Researchers, by melting Antarctic ice from the EPICA project and counting iron-60, found higher-than-background levels dating 40,000–81,000 years ago, suggesting the Solar System has moved through the Local Interstellar Cloud, sampling regions of interstellar dust from past supernovae and turning ice into a galactic time capsule.
Researchers have discovered that current astrophysics models of massive stars and supernovae are flawed, as they do not align with observational gamma-ray data. By studying the isotope iron-60 using a new experimental method called the beta-Oslo Method, the team found that the production of iron-60 in massive stars is higher than previously predicted. This suggests that theoretical models need adjustments, such as altering assumptions about stellar rotation and mass limits. The findings highlight the beta-Oslo Method's potential for studying unstable isotopes.