Globular clusters hold 13.4-billion-year-old stars but reveal evidence of even older cosmic giants.
Key Takeaways
- The James Webb Telescope detected evidence of “celestial monster” stars, up to 10,000 times the Sun’s mass, from the universe’s earliest days.
- These supermassive stars, born 440 million years after the Big Bang, might explain heavy element formation.
- Researchers identified chemical traces of these stars within ancient globular clusters, which act as time capsules.
- The extreme heat from these stars’ combustion (75 million °C) created unusual elemental variations in surrounding stars.
- Supermassive stars likely vanished after 2 million years, leaving only chemical imprints observable today.
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JWST’s Discovery of Celestial Giants
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has unveiled groundbreaking evidence of ancient supermassive stars that could redefine our understanding of the early universe. Dubbed “celestial monsters,” these stars, 5,000 to 10,000 times the mass of the Sun, formed a mere 440 million years after the Big Bang. Their discovery, published on May 5 in Astronomy and Astrophysics, provides key insights into how heavy elements first emerged in the cosmos.
Researchers found indirect evidence of these stars within globular clusters—dense groups of tens of thousands to millions of ancient stars. These clusters, with ages ranging between 10 and 13 billion years, are scattered across the Milky Way and other galaxies. By analyzing the light from one such cluster in the distant galaxy GN-z11 (13.3 billion light-years away), scientists identified nitrogen levels that suggest the combustion of hydrogen at temperatures only achievable in supermassive stars.
Tracing the Legacy of Cosmic Giants
Despite their massive size and brightness, these stars had extremely short lifespans, burning out within 2 million years. They likely met dramatic ends in hypernovas, leaving behind no visible remnants but traces of their chemical byproducts. Researchers believe the supermassive stars’ intense heat—up to 75 million °C—led to the formation of heavier elements like nitrogen and aluminum, which subsequently “polluted” smaller stars in the clusters.
This discovery helps explain a long-standing mystery: why stars in globular clusters, formed simultaneously from the same material, exhibit varied chemical compositions. The JWST’s advanced infrared camera played a pivotal role in this research, allowing scientists to dissect light frequencies from ancient stars and pinpoint chemical signatures.
Lead study author Corinne Charbonnel from the University of Geneva emphasized the significance of the findings, calling them the first evidence of these extraordinary stars. Co-author Mark Gieles of the University of Barcelona highlighted the difficulty of detecting these long-gone giants, stating that only indirect traces remain today.
Future research will expand the search across additional globular clusters to determine if these celestial monsters were a universal feature of the early universe. By uncovering more clues, astronomers hope to deepen their understanding of how heavy elements seeded the cosmos, paving the way for galaxies, stars, and planets.
