An old star near the universe

By using a special process, astronomers from the European Astronomical Research Organization in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO) have identified a star in our Milky Way that is close to age. by the universe.

According to ESO scientists, this star, scientific name HE 1523-0901, appeared 13.2 billion years ago, while the universe was " born " 13.7 billion years ago.

To determine HE 1523-0901's " birthday ", scientists used ESO's powerful VLT telescope to measure the radioactivity of thorium and uranium radioactive substances on the star.

This technology closely resembles the method of using radioactive carbon (C14) to determine the age of antiquities that existed thousands of years ago. This method requires accurate measurement of the radioactivity of thorium and uranium on the star, and can only be done with the help of the world's largest telescope such as the VLT.

The Big Bang explosion occurred 13.7 billion years ago, while HE 1523-0901 star appeared 13.2 billion years ago, which is nearly the age of the universe (Photo: ESO / livescience.com)