Scientists discover one of the oldest stars in neighboring galaxy

Scientists from the University of Chicago have discovered one of the second generation stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a neighboring galaxy of the Milky Way. LMC 119 contains valuable information for science and may shed light on the composition of first-generation stars in neighboring galaxies.

As is known, one of the indicators of a star's age is how much metal it contains. The fewer metals in a star's spectrum (anything heavier than helium according to Mendeleev's table), the older it is. Therefore, in the spectrum of first-generation stars, scientists expect traces of hydrogen and helium (and a little lithium), that is, only the material that formed during the Big Bang.

The first stars are believed to have been super-massive and super-hot, so they didn't last long, and because of their rapid burning, they're not seen in space exploration. However, in their core, in the process of thermonuclear reactions, the first elements of Mendeleev's periodic table appeared, heavier than lithium, up to iron. After the explosion, the first stars formed clouds of material to form the second generation of stars, in whose spectra scientists detect such metals in certain proportions. Based on the totality of such (supposed) signs, scientists conclude that the given object is a second generation star.

A certain number of second generation stars have already been discovered in our galaxy. Finding such stars in other galaxies means learning about the early distribution of chemical elements in the universe. The discovery of the second-generation star LMC 119 in the Large Magellanic Cloud provides insight into the chemical composition of the early universe outside our galaxy.

The analysis of the chemical composition of LMC 119 did not disappoint scientists. This star contains a quantitative composition of materials that differs from the composition of the stars of the second generation of the Milky Way. The star LMC 119 contains significantly less carbon and iron than similar stars in our galaxy.

"This was very intriguing, and it suggests that perhaps the increase in carbon content in the earliest generation of stars that we see in the Milky Way was not universal. We will have to conduct further research, but this indicates that there are differences from area to area," the scientists noted.