A team of University of Notre Dame researchers has discovered a new ultra metal-poor star, named 2MASS J18082002-5104378, that is the brightest of its kind as of yet and could offer scientists the opportunity to get better insight into the first stars that came to life in the early years of the universe, according to a press release. The team made the finding using two of the European Southern Observatory's (ESO's) Chile telescopes.
A rare remnant of the Milky Way's early years, the unique star was initially observed in 2014 by the ESO's New Technology Telescope, which led to follow-up observations by its Very Large Telescope. The findings showed that, unlike younger stars like the sun, it possesses a strangely low level of metals, which are categorized by astronomers as elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. The extreme lack of these metals is the reason that it is categorized as an ultra metal-poor star.
Metal-poor stars were believed to be abundant in the early years of the universe, although they are now rare not only in the Milky Way, but also in other neighboring galaxies. The metals contained in these stars are formed during the process of nuclear fusion, which takes place within the stars, and they subsequently make their way through the interstellar medium after these stars reach old age and explode.
Scientists believe that metal-poor stars originate from the unpolluted environment that existed shortly after the Big Bang took place, meaning that the analysis of stars like 2MASS J18082002-5104378 could help unlock the secrets of the early years of the universe.
The findings were published in the Jan. 7 issue of Astronomy & Astrophysics.
