spectra obtained with OSIRIS tagged posts

First stars of the Milky Way. Credit: Gabriel Pérez, SMM (IAC)

Researchers at the IAC have identified a star which is a key to the formation of the first chemical elements in the Galaxy. The study presents the discovery of one of the stars with the least content of “metals” (heavy elements) known. The star is 7,500 light years from Earth, in the halo of the Milky Way, and is along the line of sight to the constellation of the Lynx. The star is still on the Main Sequence, the stage at which most stars spend the major part of their lives. The source of energy of these stars is, as always, the fusión of hydrogen in their cores, and their surface temperaturas and luminosities are almost constant with time. Another of its properties is its low mass, around 0...