Tracking Stellar Lithium

Astronomers may have stumbled upon a simple and efficient way to quickly determine which stars are most likely to have planetary systems. The element lithium might be a reliable marker. A new study suggests that stars with low levels of lithium tend to have planets, while stars with higher levels tend to be barren.

Exactly why that is remains to be worked out. Indeed, a detailed, comprehensive model of how planetary systems form remains a major challenge for theorists. If this new marker turns out to be solid, however, those theorists will have one more factor they'll know their model will have to produce. This discovery should also lead to finding more planetary systems, which will eventually give theorists more data to feed into their models.