posted on 2024-11-13, 04:31authored byMadeline Leslie Howell
Sound waves oscillate within the interiors of stars, similar to how a bell rings. By detecting these oscillations, we can accurately measure individual stellar masses. We use the mass measurements of stars within a cluster to determine how much matter is lost during their lifetime. This will help improve our understanding of their evolution. Additionally, cluster stars are assumed to be relatively similar. However, differences in their chemical abundances have been found. This suggests that cluster stars are not the same, and belong to multiple 'populations'. With our accurate mass measurements, we investigate the differences between these cluster populations.