00:00The Milky Way is our home, and like many other galaxies, it's a veritable star factory.
00:08But according to new research soon to be published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics,
00:12new evidence suggests it's a far more active manufacturer than we previously thought.
00:16When stars enter existence, coming together as interstellar dust and debris accrete and collapse into one of these burning giants,
00:22they emit tons of energy. As that energy is sent out into space, byproducts of the birth are carried out with them, including elements.
00:29One of those elements we know of is called Aluminum 26, which tends to decay extremely quickly,
00:34meaning it's a great marker not only for where stars have formed, but also when.
00:38Aluminum 26 produces gamma rays as it decays, and by recording those figures, astronomers now believe they have a better idea of just how much star birthing is occurring in the Milky Way.
00:47And experts say our galaxy is actually producing stellar bodies at a rate of 4 to 8 times our sun's mass every year.
00:53That's twice as much as previously believed, which the paper outlines comes to around 55 stars every Earth year.
