Origins of First Stars Sprung to Life in Early Universe
University of Notre Dame | 2016 Jan 22
A team of researchers has observed the brightest ultra metal-poor star ever discovered.
The star is a rare relic from the Milky Way’s formative years. As such, it offers astronomers a precious opportunity to explore the origin of the first stars that sprung to life within our galaxy and the universe. ...
The star (2MASS J18082002–5104378) was spotted in 2014 using ESO’s New Technology Telescope. Follow-up observations using ESO’s Very Large Telescope discovered that, unlike younger stars such as the sun, this star shows an unusually low abundance of what astronomers call metals — elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. It is so devoid of these elements that it is known as an ultra metal-poor star. ...
2MASS J18082002-5104378: The Brightest (V=11.9) Ultra Metal-Poor Star - Jorge Melendez et al
- Astronomy & Astrophysics 585:L5 (Jan 2016) DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201527456
arXiv.org > astro-ph > arXiv:1601.03462 > 14 Jan 2016