Astronomers detect titanium oxide and titanium dioxide
around the giant star VY Canis Majoris
An international team of astronomers, including researchers
from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy and from the University of
Cologne, successfully identified two titanium oxides in the extended atmosphere
around a giant star. The object VY Canis Major is one of the largest stars in
the known universe and close to the end of its life. The detection was made
using telescope arrays in the USA and in France.
The discovery was made in the course of a study of a
spectacular star, VY Canis Majoris or VY CMa for short, which is a variable
star located in the constellation Canis Major (Greater Dog).