Exploding Star Explains Lithium Presence In Universe

Recent observation of lithium expulsion during an interstellar explosion has helped solve a pending cosmic mystery.

Chemical lithium, along with hydrogen and helium is found in abundance in the universe. Astronomers have not been able to pinpoint the source of the chemical. While it has been speculated that novae, explosion of a white dwarf, may be the source of the lithium in the universe, observations conforming such hypothesis were not observed until a team of astronomers used the FEROS instrument at La Silla Observatory to study Nova Centauri 2013, which exploded in December 2013 and has been recorded as the brightest nova this century.

The chemical footprint of the explosion analyzed from the data the team gathered, showed lithium expulsion at 2 million kilometers per hour away from the nova.

While the amount of lithium expelled is small, several millions of such explosions over time have contributed to the amount of lithium known to exist.

"It is a very important step forward. If we imagine the history of the chemical evolution of the Milky Way as a big jigsaw, then lithium from novae was one of the most important and puzzling missing pieces. In addition, any model of the Big Bang can be questioned until the lithium conundrum is understood," the study's co-author Massimo Della Valle said.

The study has been published in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.