Indian astronomers discover stars hotter than the sun

Pune : It is believed that the sun is the hottest, its surface temperature is about 5000 degree celcius and at the core it is even hotter. But, Indian astronomers have found new stars which are hotter than the sun.

These stars, eight in all, belong to a rare class called 'MRPs' or Main-sequence Radio Pulse emitters. The Pune-based astronomers have discovered the stars by using Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) located near Pune.

In a press release, the team of researchers led by astronomers from the Pune-based National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) said the team had also discovered three more such stars in the past using the GMRT. Thus, of the total 15 MRPs known so far, 11 were discovered with the GMRT, of which eight were discovered in 2021 alone, thanks to the wide bandwidth and high sensitivity of the upgraded GMRT, the release said.

"These discoveries are the fruits of an ongoing survey with the GMRT, which was launched specifically for the purpose of solving the mystery of MRPs," it said.

MRPs are the stars which are hotter than the sun, have much greater magnetic field and much stronger stellar wind. Due to this, they emit bright radio pulses like a lighthouse, the research outfit said. The first MRP was discovered in 2000.