New Research May Have Solved Mystery Surrounding 'Ghost' Stars

New Research May Have , Solved Mystery Surrounding , 'Ghost' Stars.
Scientists say that they may be starting to unravel the
mystery surrounding "ghost" stars which align in beautiful
structures near the center of our Milky Way Galaxy.
'The Independent' reports that
the unusual alignment of planetary
nebulae was first discovered ten years ago.
Since its discovery, the nature of the
"ghost" stars has remained a mystery.
Planetary nebulae are large clouds of gas
that are ejected from stars when
they come to their explosive end. .
Researchers studied a range of planetary nebulae near the center
of the Milky Way, some of which had assembled themselves
into beautiful shapes like butterflies or hourglasses.
According to the new study, scientists
believe the alignments happen when
these stellar ghosts have a companion star.
This finding pushes us closer
to understanding the cause
for this mysterious alignment, Albert Zijlstra, co-author and professor in astrophysics
at The University of Manchester, via 'The Independent'.
Planetary nebulae offer us a window into
the heart of our galaxy and this insight
deepens our understanding of
the dynamics and evolution of
the Milky Way’s bulge region, Albert Zijlstra, co-author and professor in astrophysics
at The University of Manchester, via 'The Independent'.
The significance in this research lies
in the fact that we now know that
the alignment is observed in this very
specific subset of planetary nebulae, Albert Zijlstra, co-author and professor in astrophysics
at The University of Manchester, via 'The Independent'.
The team's findings were published in
the 'Astrophysical Journal Letters.'