The most pristine star yet found in the known universe

Students found a star from the dawn of the universe drifting into the Milky Way

A group of undergraduate students stumbled into a cosmic time capsule—one of the oldest stars ever discovered—while combing through massive astronomy datasets. What began as a class project quickly turned into a breakthrough when they spotted an extraordinarily “pristine” star made almost entirely of hydrogen and helium, hinting it formed near the dawn of the universe.

The most pristine star yet found in the known universe

An unusual team of astronomers used Sloan Digital Sky Survey-V (SDSS-V) data and observations on the Magellan telescopes at Carnegie Science's Las Campanas Observatory in Chile to discover the most pristine star in the known universe, called SDSS J0715-7334. Their work is published in Nature Astronomy.

“‘Ancient Immigrant’ Star Mystifies and Inspires Astronomers”

In a groundbreaking discovery that pushes the boundaries of our understanding of the early universe, a group of undergraduate students from the University of Chicago has identified one of the oldest and most pristine stars ever observed. This stellar relic, named SDSS J0715-7334, offers a rare and unprecedented glimpse into the conditions present shortly after the Big Bang. What makes this discovery even more remarkable is the fact that SDSS J07…

Found: Most pristine star in the universe

A record-setting pristine star provides a window into the dawn of stars and galaxies in the universe. This groundbreaking find connects the work of two telescopes at Carnegie Science's Las Campanas Observatory—the du Pont, where spectra for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-V are taken, and the state-of-the-art Magellan Clay.