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University of Chicago Discovers Ancient Star's Origins

4/6/2026

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Summary

Story summary

University of Chicago undergraduates identified SDSS J0715–7334 as one of the oldest known stars from Sloan Digital Sky Survey data.
The star formed in the Large Magellanic Cloud and contains only 0.005% of solar metals.
Low metallicity indicates formation before most supernovae.
Guided by Professor Alex Ji, the team studied it during a Las Campanas Observatory trip in Chile, revealing insights into early star formation and cosmic dust's role.

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Story summary

University of Chicago undergraduates identified SDSS J0715–7334 as one of the oldest known stars from Sloan Digital Sky Survey data.
The star formed in the Large Magellanic Cloud and contains only 0.005% of solar metals.
Low metallicity indicates formation before most supernovae.
Guided by Professor Alex Ji, the team studied it during a Las Campanas Observatory trip in Chile, revealing insights into early star formation and cosmic dust's role.