Researchers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) have discovered the chemical fingerprints of the first stars in the universe. The team detected three distant gas clouds whose chemical composition matches what we expect from the first stellar explosions, bringing us closer to understanding the nature of the first stars that formed after the Big Bang. The first stars were thought to be tens or hundreds of times more massive than our Sun and contained just hydrogen and helium. These stars quickly died in powerful explosions known as supernovae, enriching the surrounding gas with heavier elements for the first time.
