Researchers from the USA, Australia, Germany, and France have identified a new "almost pure" star found 200,000 light-years away that may reveal how the Universe was born: The extremely rare SDSS J0715-7334 is composed of about 99.995% hydrogen and helium and may be a direct descendant of the first stars after the Big Bang.

Researchers from the USA, Australia, Germany, and France have identified a new “almost pure” star found 200,000 light-years away that may reveal how the Universe was born: The extremely rare SDSS J0715-7334 is composed of about 99.995% hydrogen and helium and may be a direct descendant of the first stars after the Big Bang.

Written by Andriely Medeiros de Araújo

Published on 29/05/2026 at 17:53

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Meet SDSS J0715-7334, the record-breaking star in purity that may be the direct descendant of the first stars of the cosmos. Learn how it was discovered.

Researchers have identified an extraordinary star that functions as a true chemical “time capsule,” revealing details about the state of the Universe shortly after the Big Bang. Named SDSS J0715-7334, the discovery was detailed by researchers Alexander P. Ji and Kevin C. Schlaufman in a study that points to the object as the likely “daughter” of the first stars in history (called Population III).

Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, about 160,000 to 200,000 light-years from Earth, it stands out for being composed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium, preserving a very rare purity in younger stars.

The importance of the finding lies in the fact that the original stars were massive and died quickly, making it impossible to observe them today. Thus, finding a direct descendant with a very low concentration of heavy elements is the closest current astronomy has to studying the origins of the cosmos.

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The record purity of SDSS J0715-7334

One of the most striking points of the research is the comparison between the chemistry of this ancient star and our Sun. While the Sun is a young star, enriched by several generations of stellar explosions, SDSS J0715-7334 has an infinitesimal amount of metallic “pollution.”

To understand the difference, see the composition data:

Sun (Population I): Has about 1.3% heavy elements in its total mass.

SDSS J1029+1729 (Previous record holder): Had half the purity of the new discovery.

SDSS J0715-7334 (New discovery): Contains only 0.005% of the Sun’s amount of heavy elements.

Primordial elements: Formed by approximately 99.995% hydrogen and helium.

According to Alexander P. Ji, the almost total lack of carbon suggests that only an “early sprinkling of cosmic dust” participated in its creation, shortly after the explosion of a single ancestral supernova.

The formation process in cosmic infancy

The structure of the star SDSS J0715-7334 tells the story of an event that occurred hundreds of millions of years after the Big Bang. At that time, space only contained the basic elements formed in the first three minutes of the Universe’s existence.

Comparison between the trajectory of the ancestral star and the orbit of the Large Magellanic Cloud, highlighting the connection between the two celestial bodies. (Image: Vedant Chandra and SDSS collaboration)

The scientific narrative for the birth of this star follows a logical order: first, a giant Population III star exploded, forging elements like iron and oxygen.

Subsequently, these new materials “contaminated” a gas cloud that was almost 100% pure. From the collapse of this slightly modified cloud, SDSS J0715-7334 emerged, which, being small and burning fuel slowly, managed to survive until being observed in 2026.

Technology and location of the discovery

The study was conducted with the help of the Magellan Clay telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. Scientists used a high-resolution spectrograph to “slice” the light of the star and identify the abundance of substances like aluminum and iron.

The location of the star is also strategic: the Large Magellanic Cloud is an irregular dwarf galaxy that orbits ours. According to Kevin Schlaufman, the fact that the star’s orbit is connected to this neighboring galaxy helps to understand how chemical enrichment occurred outside the Milky Way.

The new star was identified in the Large Magellanic Cloud, an irregularly shaped dwarf galaxy that orbits the Milky Way and is located between 160,000 and 200,000 light-years from Earth. (Image: NASA)

With information from Nature

Meet SDSS J0715-7334, the record-breaking star in purity that may be the direct descendant of the first stars of the cosmos. Learn how it was discovered.

The record purity of SDSS J0715-7334

The formation process in cosmic infancy

Technology and location of the discovery

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Meet SDSS J0715-7334, the record-breaking star in purity that may be the direct descendant of the first stars of the cosmos. Learn how it was discovered.

The record purity of SDSS J0715-7334

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Technology and location of the discovery

A British company has installed in the middle of the ocean the world’s first floating platform that generates electricity 24 hours a day from the temperature difference between the surface and the depths of the Atlantic, without relying on wind or sun.

Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has ceased to be a climatic phenomenon and has become a biological system that feeds on itself, with 8,000 kilometers in length, 37 million tons of algae, and scientists confirm that it is now permanent.

China is building an artificial island in the middle of the sea, covering 20 km², to construct the largest offshore airport in the world, the Dalian Jinzhouwan. This $4.3 billion project is anchored on more than 3,000 pillars embedded in the rock beneath the ocean and is scheduled to open in 2035.

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Engineers had to pour concrete mixed with tons of ice throughout entire nights in the Dubai desert to erect the Burj Khalifa; any carelessness could clog the pipes half a mile high.

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