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Pulsing with history - new developments in asteroseismology

Understanding the history of our galaxy depends on having precise measurements of the properties of its stars. This has only been possible for stars that are within around 300 light-years from Earth. However, the University of Birmingham's Andrea Miglio and colleagues have used advances in asteroseismology — the study of the interior structure of stars through the analysis of their pulsations — to show that this limitation can now be overcome.

University of Birmingham Aston Webb building

Understanding the history of our galaxy depends on having precise measurements of the properties of its stars. This has only been possible for stars that are within around 300 light-years from Earth. However, as highlighted in this week's Science Magazine Editor's Choice, Andrea Miglio and colleagues have used advances in asteroseismology — the study of the interior structure of stars through the analysis of their pulsations — to show that this limitation can now be overcome.

Find out more at the Science magazine website.