Ancient Star Found: 40,000 Times Less Iron Than Sun, Rich in Carbon, Holds Universe's Secrets
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Cosmic Fossil Found: Star PicII-503 Reveals Universe's Early Secrets
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News18•19-03-2026, 20:58
Cosmic Fossil Found: Star PicII-503 Reveals Universe's Early Secrets
•Astronomers discovered PicII-503, an extremely rare 'cosmic fossil' star in the Pictor II galaxy, using the Dark Energy Camera (DECam).
•PicII-503 is a second-generation star, formed from the remnants of the universe's first stars, with iron content 40,000 times less than the Sun.
•The star's high carbon-to-iron ratio (1500 times the Sun's) suggests it originated from ancient, small galaxies like Pictor II that merged into the Milky Way.
•Its existence supports the theory of low-energy supernovae in early stars, where heavy elements like iron fall back, allowing lighter elements like carbon to escape.
•This discovery, published in 'Nature Astronomy', offers a 'missing link' to the universe's first stars and paves the way for future missions like the Rubin Observatory.
