Sun-like stars may go through brighter phases as they grow up

Computer modelling supports the idea that nascent stars brighten dramatically during growth spurts, which could explain an astrophysical mystery

By Will Gater

Powerful outbursts of energy from young sun-like stars could be central to how they and their planetary systems form, according to a modelling study. The results hint at a possible explanation for a decades-old astrophysical mystery.

One theory for how stars like our own are born, known as the steady-state concept, makes predictions about how bright young stars should be when they’re under construction, continuously gathering gas and dust. Yet when we …