Twin Astronomer Probes ‘DNA’ of Twin Stars to Reveal Family History of Milky Way

December 20, 2019 • by Staff Writer

Twin stars appear to share chemical "DNA" that could help scientists map the history of the Milky Way galaxy, according to new research by astronomer Keith Hawkins, himself an identical twin.

Identical twins, one with a beard and glasses, stand together in a classroom with a periodic table on the wall

Astronomer Keith Hawkins (left), an assistant professor at The University of Texas at Austin, is pictured with twin brother Kevin Hawkins. Credit: Rob Hardin


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Illustration of the Wolf 1130ABC triple system, composed of the red dwarf star Wolf 1130A, its close and compact white dwarf companion Wolf 1130B, and the distant brown dwarf tertiary Wolf 1130C. The three components of this system are shown scaled to their relative sizes. Image credit: Adam Burgasser, UCSD.

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