James Webb Telescope May Have Found First Generation of Stars
Astronomers, utilizing the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), believe they may have discovered Population III stars, some of the universe’s earliest stars, within the distant cluster LAP1-B. These stars, theorized to have formed shortly after the Big Bang, were observed thanks to gravitational lensing, where the foreground cluster MACS J0416 magnified and distorted the light from LAP1-B. The observed spectra and other characteristics of these stars align with predictions for Population III stars, suggesting the stars formed in a low-metallicity environment and had unique initial mass functions. This discovery provides insights into the early stages of galaxy formation and evolution.
John Q. Hosedrinker