Скачать или смотреть Unveiling the Methuselah Star: The Oldest Known Star in the Universe?

The age of the universe is a fascinating topic, and we're about to dive into the story of the Methuselah Star, a celestial body that has intrigued astronomers for decades.
The universe, as we know it, is believed to be around 13.8 billion years old, but what if we told you there's a star that might challenge this theory?
Enter HD 140283, also known as the Methuselah Star, located about 200 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Libra. This star has a unique characteristic - it's incredibly metal-poor compared to its stellar neighbors.
In the 1950s, astronomers noticed its peculiar composition, suggesting it formed early in the universe's history, before heavier elements were prevalent. Initial age estimates in the early 2000s suggested it could be as old as 16 billion years, a shocking revelation!
However, determining a star's age is a complex process, relying on measurements of brightness and chemical composition. New measurements and refined distance calculations placed the star's age at a more conservative 14.5 billion years, with an uncertainty of around 0.8 billion years.
Further studies have narrowed down its age to between 13.7 and 12.2 billion years, with some estimates suggesting it could be as young as 11.5 billion years.
Despite these varying estimates, the Methuselah Star remains the oldest known star we've discovered so far. But it's not alone; there are other candidates, like J22132050-5137385, estimated to be around 13.6 billion years old, that could challenge its title.
Join us as we explore the fascinating world of stellar archaeology and the ongoing quest to uncover the universe's oldest secrets.