The Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, where the near-pristine star SDSS J0715-7334 was spotted. Image courtesy of Josh Lake/NASA/ESA
Joel Kontinen
A star found in the Large Magellanic Cloud is remarkably
unpolluted by heavier elements, suggesting it is descended from the universe’s earliest stars.
A relatively nearby star that appears to lack almost any of
the heavy elements produced by supernovae could be a direct descendant of the
very first stars that formed in the universe.
That is, according to evolution that states that God was not
needed, and the planets just appeared from nowhere.
Astronomers think the first
stars were made up of only the hydrogen and helium that were floating
around after the big bang. It was only when these stars ran out of fuel and
exploded in a supernova that elements heavier than helium were spread around.
The leftover, element-rich gas from these initial explosions then formed the
next generation of stars, with the cycle repeating to eventually produce all
the elements we see in the stars and planets today.
Alex Wilkins 2025
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