Australia releases chemical composition data of nearly 1 million stars

Australian researchers have made 1.08 million observations of 920,000 stars over the past 10 years, collecting information about chemical components such as carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen.

Australian researchers have just released data on the chemical composition of nearly 1 million stars , creating the basis for further research on the origin and development of galaxies.

(Image taken from an ABC video).

Scientists at the Australian Research Council's Astrophysics in Three Dimensions (ASTRO 3D) have been collecting data for more than 10 years.

Funded by the government, the centre operates in partnership with nine universities, led by the Australian National University.

The researchers made 1.08 million observations of 920,000 stars using a high-performance, high-resolution spectrograph connected to Australia's largest optical telescope, the Anglo-Australian Telescope ( AAT ). Through this, scientists collected information on the chemical compositions of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen in the stars.

This data will help scientists understand how these elements are created in stars and serve as a baseline for explaining the origin of the " building blocks of life."

According to scientist Emma Ryan-Weber, Director of ASTRO 3D, the above data is likened to "stellar DNA" containing "genetic" information about the formation and development of stars, so it can be used to determine the origin, age and movement of a star to better understand how galaxies are formed.

Additionally, this new data is also being used to train the next generation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in space exploration.