Measuring the age of stars helps us understand our formation better. But whether it is possible to measure its age? To know the mass of a star, just we can measure its orbital period and some algebraic calculations we can get it. But for the age It is hard, but possible!
Just as we tell someone’s age approximately with their appearance and life experiences scientists tell the age of the star by examining its brightness, temperature, and other characteristics.
David Soderblom, astronomer from Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore once quoted
“The sun is the only star we know the age of” “Everything else is bootstrapped up from there.”
Now to get detail into our topic measuring the age of stars, there are several techniques but we are going to see the major technique used in calculating the age of the star.
Calculating Age of the Star
There are several techniques used in calculating the age of the stars such as Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram, with the help of rotation rate and Stellar Seismology
The Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram
The Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram is a Crucial tool in stellar astrophysics, plotting stars based on their temperature (or color) against their brightness (or luminosity).
This diagram reveals different patterns which corresponds to the different stages of life cycle of a star by analyzing the positions of stars on the H-R diagram, astronomers can categorize them into various groups: main sequence stars, giants, and white dwarfs, among others. Each category represents a different evolutionary stage, which can be correlated with age.
Rotation Rate
Astronomer Andrew Skumanich notably defined a relationship that stars will start to spin slower as they age. So by analyzing the rotation rate we can define the age of a star approximately. Skumanich proposed a simple equation that younger stars spin faster than older stars. By measuring a star’s rotation speed and activity, astronomers can estimate its age.
Stellar Seismology
Stellar seismology is a newer technique that has emerged from advancements in technology, particularly through missions like NASA’s Kepler space telescope. This method studies a star’s pulsations to glean information about its internal structure.
By observing variations in a star’s brightness that is similar to how seismologists study earthquakes astronomers can infer details about the star’s interior, including its age. These observations can reveal oscillations that provide insights into the star’s density and composition.
