Star pairs

Massive stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Of the stars examined, seventy percent (the red diamonds) appear to be accelerating and decelerating. This suggests the existence of a companion. Credit: ESO/Sana et al.

Researchers discovered: Massive stars in metal-poor galaxies are also born in pairs

An international team led by scientists from Belgium, the Netherlands and Tel Aviv University has found that over 70% of the massive stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud have partners – a finding that sheds new light on the first stars