Indian scientists discover 28 new stars in Milky Way

 Scientists at Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) here have discovered 28 new variable stars in Milky Way galaxy.

ARIES Director Wahab Uddin described finding of new variable stars, whose lumisity or brightness keeps changing, as a "rare achievement".

It is for first time that variable stars have been identified in Globular cluster NGC 4147 in constellation of Coma Berenices, said former director of ARIES, Anil Pande, who w works at institute as a senior scientist.

" discovery by ARIES scientists could be crucial in vancing kwledge about composition of globular clusters in general," Pande told PTI.

Besides detection of new variable stars, study also provides important insights into internal structure of NGC 4147 which is located closer to Earth than previously thought, he said.

" ARIES team of researchers led by Dr. Sneh Lata and Dr. A K Pandeyperformed photometric observations of globular cluster NGC 4147 using 3.6-meter Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT) established in 2016 near Nainital,"Pande said.

A variable star is a star whose lumisity or brightness changes."This change may be caused due to periodical swelling and shrinking of star or occasional block of light due to an eclipse by some or solar body," he said.

NGC 4147 was discovered by British astromer William Herschel in 1784, who described globular cluster as "very bright, pretty large, grually brighter in middle."This is a relatively small globular cluster, ranking 112th in lumisity among Milky Way globular cluster population, Pande said.

A globular cluster is a spherical collection of stars that orbit a galactic core, as a satellite. Globular clusters are very tightly bound by gravity, which gives m ir spherical shapes, and relatively high stellar densities towards ir centres, he said.

Such clusters are found in halo of galaxy and contain considerably more and older stars, according to Pande. Although it appears that globular clusters contain oldest population of galaxy, ir origins and ir role in galactic evolution are still unclear, he said.

detailed findings of research will be published in August issue of Astromical Journal. 

RE: Milky Way Heed Towards Catastrophic Galactic Collision