Articles tagged with First Stars
The CosmoCube satellite will use the far side of the Moon as a 'shield' to block out Earth's noise and listen for the 21-centimetre line signal from hydrogen atoms in the early universe. This signal is extremely difficult to detect with Earth-based telescopes due to interference, but the Moon provides a natural shield.
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey has released its 20th data set, featuring over three million spectra of stars and galaxies, as well as 18 new value-added catalogs. This release marks a significant expansion of the survey's efforts, integrating full all-sky panoptic spectroscopy across both hemispheres.
Astronomers have identified the most pristine star in the known universe, SDSS J0715-7334, with a metal content of less than 0.005%. This ancient immigrant was born about 80,000 light-years from Earth and has been pulled into the Milky Way galaxy over time.
Recent JWST observations revealed a new population of astronomical objects, known as black hole stars, which are emitting light predominantly at longer wavelengths. These objects, located extremely far away, have raised questions about galaxy evolution and the formation of stars on a massive scale.
A team of researchers from Kyushu University discovered that about 60% of molecular clouds in the Small Magellanic Cloud had a filamentary structure, while 40% were 'fluffy' with higher temperatures. This finding provides new insights into star formation in early-universe-like environments.
The VST-SMASH survey captures new images of five galaxies showcasing their unique structures and assembly histories. The Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) at ESO Paranal observatory used the VST telescope to produce these glorious galaxy portraits.
An international team led by UNIGE has identified three ultra-massive galaxies forming at unexpected speeds in the early Universe. The discovery challenges existing galaxy formation models and suggests that massive galaxies may have been more efficient in building stars than previously thought.
Researchers use high-resolution computer simulations and terabytes of data to detect faint signals from the Epoch of Reionization, providing insights into galaxy formation. The study sets an upper limit on when the EoR likely ended, offering a new parameter for scientists to work with as they continue to investigate the early universe.
Astronomers have discovered a 'weird' and unprecedented galaxy in the early Universe, with its gas outshining its stars. This phenomenon could provide clues about how galaxies evolved between the Big Bang and familiar galaxies.
Researchers witness the formation of three of the universe's earliest galaxies, 13.3-13.4 billion years ago, using the James Webb Space Telescope. The discovery contributes to understanding the universe's origins and provides insight into galaxy formation, shedding light on humanity's most basic questions.
A massive ancient galaxy, JWST-ER1g, has been found to have a high dark matter density, puzzling physicists. Researchers offer an explanation that suggests a mechanism compressing the dark matter halo could be responsible for the high density.
Astronomers have found a second-generation star in the Large Magellanic Cloud that formed in a different galaxy, offering clues about how elements were enriched in the universe. This discovery provides new hints about the early element-forming process and suggests that conditions may not be the same across all galaxies.
Astronomers combined the Webb and Hubble telescopes to capture a detailed portrait of the cosmos, revealing a galaxy cluster about 4.3 billion light-years from Earth. The image showcases magnified supernovae and individual stars, providing insights into the universe's first stars and the forces driving its expansion.
A new computer simulation of the early universe aligns with JWST observations, showing no discrepancy with theoretical expectations. The 'Renaissance simulations' track dark matter clumps and galaxy formation, consistent with models that dictate cosmic physics.
Researchers discovered a star with a unique chemical composition matching theoretical expectations for first-generation stars. This finding strongly supports the theory that stars over 140 times the Sun's mass formed in the early Universe.
A new study has identified a chemically peculiar star in the Galactic halo as clear evidence of the existence of pair-instability supernovae (PISNe) from very massive first stars. The star's low sodium and cobalt abundances are consistent with predictions for primordial PISN from first-generation stars with 260 solar masses.
The HERA team has improved the sensitivity of a radio telescope, allowing them to detect radio waves from the cosmic dawn era. The data suggests that early galaxies contained few elements besides hydrogen and helium, unlike modern galaxies.
An international team used AI to analyze old star chemical abundances and found indications that the first stars formed in groups. The study suggests that first-generation stars must have been clustered together rather than isolated, offering a new constraint on the multiplicity of the first stars.
A team of researchers used machine learning to analyze elemental abundances in over 450 extremely metal-poor stars. The study found that 68% of these stars have a chemical fingerprint consistent with enrichment by multiple supernovae, providing the first quantitative constraint on the multiplicity of the first stars. This challenges th...
The Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array (HERA) team has doubled the sensitivity of its radio telescope array, providing clues to the composition of stars and galaxies in the early universe. The data suggest that early galaxies contained few elements besides hydrogen and helium.
An international team of researchers has successfully characterized the earliest galaxies in the Universe, which formed only 200 million years after the Big Bang. The study found that these early galaxies were relatively small and dim, processing less than 5% of their gas into stars.
A team of astronomers used the James Webb Telescope to identify five ancient globular clusters, potentially containing the first and oldest stars in the universe. The clusters were formed close to the Big Bang, offering insights into star formation and galaxy evolution.
Researchers using JWST's First Deep Field image identified the most distant globular clusters, potentially relics of the first and oldest stars. These discoveries provide a detailed look at the earliest phase of star formation, confirming JWST's power in uncovering the universe's origins.
Researchers used Stampede2 supercomputer to simulate star seeding, heating effects of primordial black holes. The study found that these two effects cancel each other out, with little impact on star formation.
A team of astronomers has developed a novel way to observe the first stars and galaxies, detecting light through the fog of the early Universe. The Square Kilometre Array will likely make images of the earliest light, but current telescopes struggle to detect the cosmological signal through hydrogen clouds.
A new Caltech project, COMAP, will peer beneath the 'tip of the iceberg' of galaxies to unveil a hidden era of star formation. The project aims to answer questions about what caused the universe's rapid increase in star production.
A new technique has identified previously hidden protoclusters that could reveal new details about galaxy evolution. The ancestors of large galaxy clusters were found to be hiding in plain sight, with some protoclusters harboring unseen galaxies that evolved differently.
Physicists are using a deposit of nearly pure argon, extracted from southwest Colorado, to search for answers about the universe's dark matter. The argon is separated from carbon dioxide and shipped to Italy for use in the DarkSide-20k detector.
Scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a single star, nicknamed Earendel, located an astonishing 28 billion light-years away. The star is estimated to be up to 500 times more massive than our Sun and millions of times brighter.
Three exoplanets mistakenly identified as planets are actually small stars, according to a new MIT study. The discovery was made using updated measurements of planet-hosting stars from the European Space Agency's Gaia mission.
Researchers have reduced background noise using new antennas in the Australian hinterland, allowing them to refine their search for a 13-billion-year-old signal known as the Epoch of Reionisation. By surveying over 80,000 radio signal sources, they produced models that significantly improved efforts to locate the elusive signal.
Researchers have found evidence of a 'magneto-rotational hypernova', a previously unknown type of cataclysm that could explain the presence of high amounts of uranium and zinc in ancient stars. The discovery, published in Nature, reveals a new pathway for the formation of heavy elements in the infant universe.
Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin and Georgia Tech used supercomputers to model the formation of the first stars, known as Population III or Pop III stars. Their simulations showed that these ancient stars forged heavier elements, such as carbon, which seeded the next generation of stars.
A team of European researchers used Hubble Space Telescope to study the early Universe, finding no evidence of Population III stars. The discovery suggests that galaxies must have formed much earlier than previously thought, supporting the idea that low-mass galaxies are responsible for reionisation.
A newly discovered ancient star contains a record-low amount of iron, hinting at the nature of the first stars in the Universe. The ultra-metal-poor red giant star has iron levels 1.5 million times lower than that of the Sun.
Astronomers found that early supernovae ejected violent jets, enriching the gas clouds of subsequent stars. The team's discovery challenges previous assumptions about the first stars' explosions.
The James Webb Space Telescope has the potential to observe the first stars in the universe, which formed about 200-400 million years after the Big Bang. The telescope can capture light from single stars with a massive amount of gravitational lensing, amplifying it up to 10,000 times.
Researchers at Arizona State University and Tel Aviv University have discovered dark matter using radio wave signals from the early universe. The detection provides direct proof that dark matter exists and is composed of low-mass particles.
A team of astronomers has detected the fingerprints of the earliest stars in the universe, revealing a wealth of information about their formation and evolution. The detection provides the first evidence for the oldest ancestors in our cosmic family tree, born just 180 million years after the universe began.
Researchers from MIT and Arizona State University have detected faint signals of hydrogen gas from the primordial universe, tracing them back to just 180 million years after the Big Bang. The discovery indicates that the first stars may have started turning on around this time, causing hydrogen atoms to absorb background radiation.
Astronomers have discovered the youngest and most distant galaxy ever seen, containing an abundance of interstellar dust formed by earlier star deaths. This discovery provides new information on when the first supernovae exploded and sheds light on the early Universe.
Researchers analyzed UV spectrum of BD+44 493, a second-generation star thought to have been enriched by one of the first stars. They found phosphorus, sulfur, and zinc, which reveal the star was likely massive and exploded as a supernova.
Researchers identified ancient stars in the Milky Way's center with extremely low metal content, suggesting they formed in the early universe. These stars contain chemical fingerprints indicating possible hypernova deaths, which could aid understanding of the Universe's evolution over billions of years.
A team of astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope discovered the brightest galaxy yet found in the early universe. The galaxy, CR7, contains massive blue stars - the first generation of stars that forged the heavy elements necessary for life.
A team of scientists has successfully measured radiation leaks in star-forming galaxies, providing new insights into the formation of the first stars and galaxies. The breakthrough method uses a previously developed indicator, allowing researchers to study distant galaxies at longer wavelengths.
Researchers found a star with extremely low iron content, which could be evidence of the universe's first supernovae. The star's unusual chemical composition supports the theory that massive stars formed in the early universe and exploded as supernovae.
The study provides new insights into stellar nurseries, showing that high-mass stars form in groups rather than alone and that these seeds can be fragmented into individual star seeds early in the formation process.
The discovery of the oldest known star in the Universe allows scientists to study its chemistry, providing a clearer idea of the early universe. The ancient star is around 6,000 light years from Earth and formed shortly after the Big Bang.
A Tel Aviv University study suggests that cosmic heating occurred later than previously believed, allowing astronomers to detect the earliest black holes by searching for radio waves in space. This finding has significant implications for our understanding of the universe's origins and the history of cosmic expansion.
Scientists discovered previously unseen binary companions to young protostars using upgraded VLA capabilities. The findings support the disk-fragmentation idea, which suggests double stars form when a gas and dust disk fragments, forming a new star in orbit with the first.
A team of researchers has calculated the strength and distribution of magnetic fields in the early universe, finding that they existed even before the first stars formed. The calculations show that these weak magnetic fields were present throughout the entire plasma volume, with strengths as low as 10^-20 Tesla.
A team of researchers at MIT analyzed light from a quasar, which is the most distant object known, to study the era of the first stars and galaxies. They found no evidence of heavy elements in the surrounding gaseous cloud, suggesting that the quasar dates back to an era nearing the universe's first stars.
Researchers used radio and infrared telescopes to study a giant cloud about 770 light-years from Earth, discovering a 'pristine' clump of gas that may be on the verge of forming dense cores. The observations reveal previously unseen substructures within the clump that could lead to the formation of ten new stars.
Astrophysicists used computer simulations to find that the first stars could have formed alongside multiple companions. The simulations suggest that these companion stars were born when the gas disks surrounding the first star broke up, giving rise to sibling stars in fragments.
The Hubble Space Telescope has detected a compact galaxy made of blue stars 480 million years after the Big Bang, providing best insights yet into the universe's birth and evolution.
Scientists identified a rare type of star that likely exploded into the observed superbright supernova, SN 2007bi. The discovery reveals details about the extreme heat and pressure conditions in the star's core.
Astronomers use VLA to study GRB 090423, a stellar explosion 13 billion light-years away, and discover it was more energetic than typical GRBs. The team also finds that the blast expanded into a uniform gaseous medium surrounding the star, providing unique insights into the early universe.
A NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center simulation found that the universe's first black holes grew slowly due to a lack of gas, contrary to expectations. The findings have significant implications for understanding galaxy formation and the role of black holes in shaping the universe.
Researchers created a detailed computer simulation of early star formation, revealing the existence of twin stars. The simulations showed that these stars provide seeds for next-generation star formation, helping scientists understand how galaxies formed.
A computer simulation reveals the formation of the first stars in the universe, showing how dark matter and gas interacted to create these ancient celestial bodies. The study provides insight into the origins of life and planets, highlighting the importance of stellar elements in our bodies.