Ancient Stars Defy Expectations: Helium Hydride Finding Suggests Suns Burned Throughout Cosmic History
PARIS – A groundbreaking discovery has challenged prevailing theories about the first stars, revealing evidence that some ancient suns continued burning for billions of years after the universe’s birth, fueled by the unexpected presence of helium hydride molecules. The findings, published recently, suggest a more diverse population of early stars than previously imagined, perhaps including some still observable today.
For decades,scientists believed the first stars – born roughly 13.8 billion years ago - were massive, short-lived giants that quickly exhausted their fuel and exploded as supernovae, seeding the universe with heavier elements. However, new research indicates that turbulence within early gas clouds allowed for the formation of lower-mass stars, and crucially, the persistence of helium hydride – the first molecule formed in the universe – enabled sustained nuclear fusion in some of thes stars.
Astrophysicist Ke-jung Chen led a study utilizing advanced computer simulations to model gas dynamics in the early universe. The research demonstrated that turbulence within gas clouds could lead to the formation of smaller stellar fragments. “This study concluded that turbulence could have enabled early gas clouds to form stars ranging from the same size as the Sun to up to 40 times its mass,” highlighting a greater diversity in early star masses than previously thought.
Complementing this work, Japanese astronomers recently captured images of a young star formation 26,000 light years away, observing jets emitted every nine hundred years – providing a tangible example of stellar activity in the early universe.
The collective findings suggest the first stars weren’t exclusively massive. Instead,a mix of high and low-mass stars likely existed,with some potentially still burning today. Locating these ancient stars presents a notable challenge due to their faintness, but ongoing observational efforts are underway.
These revelations raise fundamental questions about the universe’s early evolution and the processes that led to the formation of galaxies and planetary systems. The discovery of long-lived, helium hydride-fueled stars fundamentally alters our understanding of the cosmos’s formative years.
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