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Space

Crooked star clusters may be a sign that Einstein’s gravity is wrong

Astronomers have found an unexpected asymmetry in stars escaping from their clusters, and it can't be easily explained by our standard theories of gravity

By Leah Crane

1 November 2022

This image shows the Hyades star cluster, the nearest cluster to us. The Hyades cluster is very well studied due to its location, but previous searches for planets have produced only one. A new study led by Jay Farihi of the University of Cambridge, UK, has now found the atmospheres of two burnt-out stars in this cluster ??? known as white dwarfs ??? to be ???polluted??? by rocky debris circling the star. Seeing evidence of asteroids points to the possibility of Earth-sized planets in the same system, as asteroids are the building blocks of major planets. Planet-forming processes are inefficient, and spawn many times more small bodies than large bodies ??? but once rocky embryos the size of asteroids are built, planets are sure to follow.

The Hyades star cluster has a strange distribution of stars that could be explained by an alternative theory of gravity

NASA, ESA, and STScI

A strange effect in clusters of stars is bringing our ideas of how gravity works into question. These star clusters seem to have an unexpected asymmetry, which fits better under an alternate theory of gravity called modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) than under Albert Einstein’s widely accepted theories.

Clusters of stars, which orbit the centre of their galaxy, typically look a bit like a two-armed pinwheel with opposing tails –…

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