A group of very old stars have been seen near our sun, showing that our galaxy is much older than we thought. Most of the 100 billion stars in the Milky Way spin around a supermassive black hole at the center. Scientists believed the galaxy formed 8 to 10 billion years ago, but new information from the European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft suggests it could be over 13 billion years old.
Researchers from Germany’s Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam made this discovery. They found that the Milky Way likely formed 4-5 billion years earlier than previously believed.
Machine learning helped scientists study 800,000 stars near us, revealing surprising details about their metal content. Some of the oldest stars have twice as much metal as the sun.
This discovery changes how we understand our galaxy’s history. It shows that our galaxy had many stars forming early on, leading to quick metal enrichment in the inner regions and the creation of the disc.
Vocabulary List:
- Galaxy /ˈɡæl.ək.si/ (noun): A system of stars gas and dust held together by gravity.
- Supermassive /ˌsuː.pərˈmæs.ɪv/ (adjective): Referring to an exceptionally large mass typically in the context of black holes.
- Enrichment /ɪnˈrɪtʆ.mənt/ (noun): The process of improving or enhancing the quality or value of something.
- Discovery /dɪsˈkʌv.ər.i/ (noun): The act of finding or learning something for the first time.
- Researchers /rɪˈsɜː.tʃərz/ (noun): Individuals who investigate or study a particular subject in detail.
- Metal /ˈmɛt.əl/ (noun): A typically solid substance that is a good conductor of heat and electricity.
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