Chinese astronomers² have discovered the most lithium-rich giant star ever known, which could shed new light on the evolution of the universe.

 

中国天文学家发现目前已知最富锂的巨星，这可能对宇宙的进化带来新的见解。
 

 

With 3,000 times more lithium than a normal star, it was found in the direction of Ophiuchus, on the north side of the galactic disk, at a distance of 4,500 light years from Earth.

 

A research team, led by astronomers from National Astronomical³ Observatories⁴ of China (NAOC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, made the discovery with the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber⁵ Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST), a special quasi-meridian reflecting Schmidt telescope located in NAOC's Xinglong Observatory⁶, in north China's Hebei Province.

 

The telescope can observe about 4,000 celestial⁷ bodies at one time and has made a massive contribution to the study of the structure of the galaxy⁸.

 

Lithium is considered one of the three elements synthesized in the Big Bang, together with hydrogen and helium. The abundance of the three elements was regarded as the strongest evidence of the Big Bang.

 

The evolution of lithium has been a key subject in the research of the evolution of the universe and stars. However, giant stars rich in lithium are very rare, with only a few found over the past three decades. This makes their study remarkably⁹ challenging, said Zhao Gang, a lead astronomer¹ at NAOC.

 

"The discovery of this star has largely increased the upper limit of observed lithium abundance," said Zhao.

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