Kronos: Devourer Of Worlds
Summary
This episode of Space Time Journal Club explores the discovery of a wide binary star system, Kronos and Krios, where one star appears to have consumed its own terrestrial planets. The discussion details how spectroscopic analysis revealed Kronos has an unusual overabundance of heavy elements and lithium, consistent with the accretion of roughly 15 Earth masses of rocky material. The hosts also address listener suggestions for mitigating the Sun's future brightening, including star lifting, orbital solar farms, and gravitationally moving Earth to a larger orbit.
Topics discussed
Sponsor: LinkedIn Hiring Pro
Sponsor: McDonald's Sausage McMuffin Deal
Introduction to the Kronos and Krios discovery
Star formation and binary star basics
Utility of wide binaries for galactic studies
Identifying wide binaries using Gaia data
Characteristics of the Kronos and Krios pair
Anomalous chemical differences between the stars
Sponsor: LinkedIn Career Insights
Sponsor: McDonald's Sausage McMuffin Deal
Hypothesis: Kronos consumed its own planets
Calculating the mass of consumed material
Lithium abundance as evidence of late accretion
Mechanisms for planetary engulfment
Future research and listener suggestions
Strategy: Star lifting to reduce solar mass
Strategy: Orbiting solar farms and moving Earth
Strategy: Stealing angular momentum from Jupiter
Sponsor: LinkedIn Professional Network
Sponsor: McDonald's Sausage McMuffin Deal
Sponsor: Cuvasier Cognac
Listen ad-free on Castria