Where is the Remnant of the Star that Gave Birth to our Solar System?

  • Thread starter Mu naught
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In summary, the formation of our solar system is believed to have been influenced by a supernova, which created heavy elements that were later reused in the formation of our sun. However, there is no specific supernova that can be identified as the progenitor of our sun, as it is likely that the remnants of multiple generations of stars have been dispersed or absorbed over time. The exact location of the original star is unknown, and our current position in the galaxy is likely far from where the sun was first born.
  • #1
Mu naught
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We know our solar system had to have been formed at least partially from the remnants of a supernova, due to the abundance of heavy elements on Earth and elsewhere. My question is, where is corpse of the star which gave birth to us?

There should be a neutron star, or even a black hole, that is left behind from whatever star blew up over 6 billion years ago that we formed from, but the question is where? How far could such a star have migrated since that time from the current position of the sun, or is it likely that the sun is no where near the location of the actual star which blew up?
 
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  • #2
Elements heavier than iron were created in a supernova but that would have been very early in the formation of the galaxy - the material would have been reused through an earlier generation of stars before our sun formed.

There isn't a specific progenitor supernova
 
  • #3
The Sun was probably born in a cloud of gas along with dozens to hundreds of other stars.

Due to gravitational interaction it is thought that the stars would have been scattered into different orbits around galactic center. That was 5 billion years ago more or less. The sun orbits galactic center every 200-250 million years. So Sol has completed some 20 to 25 orbits since its birth. We are probably far from where first ignition occurred.
 
  • #4
200-250 millions years. How fast are we travelling, or do we not have a reference point to give it a speed?
 
  • #5
binbots said:
200-250 millions years. How fast are we travelling, or do we not have a reference point to give it a speed?

About 25,000 lyr from the centre and 225M yr to go around.


 
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  • #6
The title of this topic is "Where is the Sun's mother?" Scientifically speaking, the Sun has no mother and there is no 'corpse of the star which gave birth to us'.:smile: Thank you.
 
  • #7
There are several generations of pop-III and II stars that were ancestors of the sun, most of them are either completely dispersed into current pop-I stars or absorbed into the black hole at the center.
 
  • #8
After over many billions of years, the suns progenitor remnants could be almost anywhere in, or outside, our galaxy. It is virtually certain no single star provided all the raw materials from which our solar system formed. In other words, what mgb said.
 

FAQ: Where is the Remnant of the Star that Gave Birth to our Solar System?

1. Where is the Sun's mother?

The Sun does not have a mother in the traditional sense. It was formed through the collapse of a cloud of gas and dust about 4.6 billion years ago. This process created our entire solar system, including the Sun.

2. Is there a specific location where the Sun's mother can be found?

No, there is no specific location where the Sun's "mother" can be found. As mentioned before, the Sun was formed from a cloud of gas and dust, so it does not have a physical mother like humans do.

3. Did the Sun have a mother before it was formed?

No, the Sun did not have a mother before it was formed. It was created from the materials in the cloud of gas and dust, and did not exist in any form beforehand.

4. Is the Sun's mother a star like the Sun?

No, the Sun's mother is not a star like the Sun. The Sun's mother refers to the cloud of gas and dust that collapsed to form the Sun. While the Sun is a star, its mother was not, as it was not yet condensed enough to sustain nuclear fusion.

5. How did the Sun's mother contribute to the formation of the Sun?

The Sun's mother, the cloud of gas and dust, played a crucial role in the formation of the Sun. As the cloud collapsed, it began to spin faster and flatten into a disk shape. This process led to the formation of the Sun at the center, while the remaining material in the disk coalesced to form the planets, moons, and other objects in our solar system.

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