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Astronomy

Telling the tale of the first stars

Nature volume 422, pages 825–826 (2003)Cite this article

HE0107–5240 is a star in more than one sense of the word. Chemically, it is the most primitive object yet discovered, and it is at the centre of debate about the origins of the first elements in the Universe.

Late last year, the discovery of the most iron-deficient star yet identified, HE0107–5240, was announced. This star has a measured abundance of iron less than 1/200,000 that of the Sun1. Its significance is that it seems to be a relic from the early Universe, and astronomers are now busy considering how to interpret it.

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  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48824, Michigan, USA

    Timothy C. Beers

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  1. Timothy C. Beers
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Correspondence to Timothy C. Beers.

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Beers, T. Telling the tale of the first stars. Nature 422, 825–826 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/422825a

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