Scientists Find Signal From The First Stars In The Universe In A Monumental Moment For Astronomy

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 15:50:15 +0000

Scientists Find Signal From The First Stars In The Universe In A Monumental Moment For Astronomy Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/28/2018 - 08:50

From IFL Science: In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists say they have found a signal from some of the earliest stars in the universe, giving us an unparalleled glimpse into the dawn of the cosmos. The signals originate from hydrogen gas from just 180 million years after the Big Bang, itself 13.8 billion years ago. It suggests that the first generation of stars in the universe formed around this time. A study describing the findings, 12 years in the making, is published in Nature.

"Finding this miniscule signal has opened a new window on the early universe,” Judd Bowman from Arizona State University, the study’s lead author, said in a statement. "Telescopes cannot see far enough to directly image such ancient stars, but we've seen when they turned on in radio waves arriving from space." Read more...

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13.6 Billion Years Later, Astronomers have Found Clues to our Earliest Stars

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 15:45:53 +0000

13.6 Billion Years Later, Astronomers have Found Clues to our Earliest Stars Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/28/2018 - 08:45

Rachel Becker

From The Verge: The first observation of the earliest stars in the Universe suggests they were forming about 180 million years after the Big Bang. The radio signal used to make this observation, though indirect, backs up some theoretical models about the evolution of the early Universe.

In the beginning, the Universe was made mainly of gas — mostly hydrogen — and a heavy, mysterious material known as dark matter. Over time, pockets of hydrogen gas collapsed to form the first stars, and there was light. But no one knew when exactly these cosmic lights first turned on, until a team of astronomers picked up a faint radio signal that traveled 13.6 billion years to reach Earth.

The radio signal, described today in the journal Nature, tells us that early stars were already forming 180 million years after the Big Bang. That’s because ultraviolet light from these stars irradiated the hydrogen gas surrounding them, causing a telltale dip in the spectrum of radiowaves detected here on Earth. The signal gives scientists an indirect look into the mysterious period of time when the Universe was still in its infancy. Read more...

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