Date Time Science of spin – older stars rotate faster than expected Sound waves trapped inside stars cause them to oscillate at particular frequencies. These vibrations are visible on the surface, and can be measured by astronomers using space telescopes. When a star is rotating these oscillation frequencies change slightly, making it possible to measure the star’s rotation by looking at how it’s surface changes over time. Credit: Mark Garlick / University of Birmingham Stars spin faster than expected as they age, according to a new study – which uses asteroseismology to shed new light on this emerging theory All stars, like the Sun, are born spinning. As they grow older, their spin slows down due to magnetic winds in a process called ‘magnetic braking’. Research published in 2016 by scientists at Carnegie Observatories delivered the first hints that stars at a similar stage of life as the Sun were spinning faster than magnetic braking theories predicted.