The oldest star While the image may not be impressive - TopicsExpress



          

The oldest star While the image may not be impressive compared to other images of stars, the star itself is extremely impressive due to its age. The Methuselah Star (HD 140283) is the oldest star with a determined age. Astronomers in the 1950’s noticed it had a deficiency of heavy elements compared to other nearby stars, suggesting that it formed in a very early period in the Universe. The star likely formed in a primeval galaxy which was later shredded by the Milky Way over 12 billion years ago. Early estimates put the star’s age at 16 billion years old, which would make it older than the accepted age of the universe (13.8 billion years). The star is now estimated to be around 14.5 billion years old (plus or minus 0.8 billion years), which has the star’s age overlapping with that of the Universe. Read more at iflscience/space/strangest-and-biggest-things-space#PWscvrJItbZRvYk8.99
Posted on: Sun, 08 Jun 2014 20:10:33 +0000

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