Researchers studied galaxies' characteristics using stars created billions of years after Big Bang that still exist
The most extensive set of in-depth observations of the oldest stars in the Milky Way's centre have been made by researchers as part of their study, proving that the universe still has many hidden secrets waiting to be unveiled.
Even though it was believed that this cluster of stars formed in a chaotic manner, the Pristine Inner Galaxy Survey (Pigs) team discovered that it is slowly rotating around the galactic centre.
According to research by Dr Anke Arentsen of the University of Cambridge, a member of the Pigs team, they also appear to spend the majority of their lengthy lives close to the galaxy's centre, as was revealed at the National Astronomy Meeting 2023 held at the University of Cardiff.
It is possible to study the characteristics of galaxies as they first emerged by using some of the stars that were created in the first billion years following the Big Bang and are still in existence today.
They are easy to identify because of their pure chemical makeup, which consists primarily of hydrogen and helium and contains much fewer heavier elements than younger stars like the sun.
Since they are easier to find in the low-density halo surrounding our galaxy than in the Milky Way disc plane, astronomers typically look for these ancient stars there.
Models of the Milky Way's galaxy predict that its innermost, densest regions will contain its oldest stars.
The researchers suggested that due to the dense interstellar dust that obscures them and the rarity of old stars relative to the vast majority of their younger counterparts, it is difficult to locate them in this region.
Dr Arentsen said: "It is exciting to think that we are seeing stars that formed in the earliest phases of the Milky Way, previously largely out of reach. These stars likely formed less than a billion years after the Big Bang, so are relics from the early universe."
He added: "The available data for these ancient objects is growing rapidly. I’m excited to see what we will learn about these first stars to populate our galaxy in the next few years."