Under their immense gravity, stars fuse light elements such as hydrogen and helium, producing heavier nuclei called metals. When massive stars explode in supernovae, they eject those metals into the space where they cool and condense to dust, asteroids, planets, and the next generation of stars. In a recent study, a ~2-million-year-old galaxy with no detectable metallicity was discovered — an absence of heavier elements that could point to the first stars ever made in the universe.
Join us this week as Mike investigates some of the earliest stars and how we identify them.
If you have questions you would like answered on Astro Brief, email them to Dr. Mike Reed at mikereed@missouristate.edu.
Astro Brief is a collaboration between KSMU, the Missouri Space Grant, and MSU's Department of Physics, Astronomy and Materials Science. Hosted by Dr. Mike Reed, Astro Brief focuses on astronomical events, the field of astronomy, and astronomy-related guests. It airs Thursdays at 9:45 am on KSMU.