A cluster of stars known as LAP1-B, seen around 800 million years after the universe was formed, is the first we have seen consistent with being composed of the first stars, a new paper claims. That is, these would be stars whose initial ingredients were entirely forged in the Big Bang , rather than by an even older set of stars. Despite the difficulties in confirming such a claim about a system so far away, the authors argue there are three tests we should apply in seeking a system made of original stars, and LAP1-B meets all of them. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

When Joni Mitchell sang, “We are stardust”, her words didn’t just apply to a generation, but the whole Solar System, and probably all the others in our g

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