Astronomers have discovered a mysterious type of stars called the ‘Ancient Smokers’ within the Milky Way galaxy’s Orion Arm.

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Unlike typical ‘Red Giants,’ these stars exhibit a peculiar behavior of remaining quiet for extended periods before suddenly emitting puffs of smoke.

An international research team, conducting a 10-year survey using the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope in Chile, initially focused on finding newly born stars but stumbled upon 32 primary stars known as the ‘Ancient Smokers.’

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These stars are located in the dense stellar disk at the center of the Orion Arm and undergo sudden dimming, becoming up to 40 to 100 times fainter, possibly due to temporary obscuration by expelled dust.

The origin of these smoke puffs remains unknown, but exploration is underway to understand their contribution to spreading heavy elements within the galaxy.

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The study, led by astrophysicist Philip Lucas at the University of Hertfordshire’s Centre for Astrophysics, speculates on the role of these stars in distributing galactic elements.

While the results are preliminary, this discovery sheds light on previously unseen phenomena in stellar behavior. The study was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.