A surprising new study reveals that the first stars appeared in a pre-heated universe, challenging earlier ideas about early cosmic conditions.

Astronomers studying how elements heavier than iron were produced in the early Milky Way have identified a distinct series of epochs of galaxy-wide chemical formation. This evolutionary timeline, ...

Some classes of stars create light elements, such as oxygen and silicon; others also craft heavier ones, such as iron and ...

For decades, astronomers have wondered what the very first stars in the universe were like. These stars formed new chemical elements, which enriched the universe and allowed the next generations of ...

Black holes are among the most intriguing cosmic bodies, but we know little about their origins. The Pop III.1 model explains ...

A new article published in The Astrophysical Journal explores a new theory of how Type Ia supernovae, the powerful stellar ...

At just 25, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin applied quantum physics to a treasure trove of astronomical observations to show that stars are mostly hydrogen and helium.

A computational model of the early-to-present-day Universe predicts that some of the first stars formed in structures that challenge conventional classification. Read the paper: The emergence of ...

When it comes to baby blankets, the fluffier, the better — and astronomers have discovered that some infant stars in the early universe also preferred "fluffy" pre-natal cocoons. Scientists have ...

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Luke Keller, Ithaca College (THE CONVERSATION) For decades, astronomers have wondered ...