Gemini observation of distant quasar uncovers evidence of first-generation star that died in ‘super-supernova’ explosion The very first stars likely formed when the Universe was only 100 million years old, less than one percent its current age. These first stars — known as Population III — were so titanically massive that when they ended their lives as supernovae they tore themselves apart, seeding interstellar space with a distinctive blend of heavy elements. Despite decades of diligent searching by astronomers, however, there has been no direct evidence of these primordial stars, until now. By analyzing one of the most distant known quasars using the Gemini North telescope, one of the two identical telescopes that make up the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF’s N...
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