All articles tagged with #milky way stars
A study analyzing about 250,000 old Milky Way stars using Gaia and LAMOST data finds the oldest stars to be about 13.73 billion years old, aligning with the 13.8‑billion‑year age inferred from the cosmic microwave background and weakening the case for the younger 12.5–12.9 billion-year age suggested by supernova measurements; the Hubble tension persists without this stellar-age result resolving it.
A new study provides the first compelling evidence of nuclear fission in the cores of massive stars, suggesting that elements heavier than iron, such as silver and gold, are formed through this process. The analysis of 42 ancient stars in the Milky Way reveals a consistent pattern of elements that are likely products of fission. This finding suggests that nature may forge elements with atomic masses greater than 260 before breaking them down again. The research provides "direct evidence" of this heavy-duty fission process, which has never been produced on Earth.