Sept. 28 (UPI) — Astronomers discovered what could be chemical evidence of the universe’s first stars with the help of the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii.
Using the Gemini near-infrared spectrograph, astronomers were able to examine the wavelengths of light emitted by clouds surrounding a remote quasar, which in the past had been observed through the Gemini North telescope.
By analyzing the other wavelengths, they had to deduce that the clouds contained much higher iron-to-magnesium ratios than would be expected from a Sun-like star.
Yuzuru Yoshii and Hiroaki Sameshima of the University of Tokyo published their findings Wednesday in The Astrophysical Journal.
The explosion produced through a supernova of pair instability does not result in the formation of a black hollow star or neutrons as usually happens with supernovae, but would leave gigantic clouds composed of the remains of the stars themselves.
According to the new study, this is what the Gemini North telescope does in deep space.