The oldest planet has been discovered

The planet was formed 9 billion years before the other known stars - only about a billion years after the big bang

Astronomers have discovered the oldest known planet, in an area where stars were not expected to be found. The star that was discovered is 800 times larger than the Earth, and was formed about 13 billion years ago -; That is, about 9 billion years before any other star discovered so far. The star was formed only about a billion years after the big bang, in which the material needed to form stars was created.

The discovery may change theories about the way planets are formed and the number of planets in the world. "We estimate that we have discovered an example of the first generation of stars in the world," said Stein Sigurdsson, a researcher from the University of Pennsylvania. "We believe that the star was formed together with its sun 12.713 billion years ago, when the Milky Way was still forming."

The research team relied on Hubble Space Telescope observations and other technical means. The findings were presented yesterday at a NASA press conference, and were published in the journal "Science". Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution in Washington said the discovery could have far-reaching implications: "It is possible that 13 billion years ago life was created and lost."

Andrew Fruchter of the Space Telescope Science Institute said the evidence for the discovery of the star looks compelling, but added that it is the only example of such a star. "These are the first days of exploring the planets outside the solar system, and it is assumed that it is still too early to confirm claims or deny them."

To the article on the NASA science website