(News from NASA)

New results from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope suggest the formation of the first stars and galaxies in the early universe took place sooner than previously thought. A European team of astronomers have found no evidence of the first generation of stars, known as Population III stars, as far back as when the universe was just 500 million years old.

[Editor’s note: Population III stars are currently hypothetical—they are the theorized progenitor stars that would eventually create the heavier elements found in currently-observed varieties within our universe. Read more here.]

“These results have profound astrophysical consequences as they show that galaxies must have formed much earlier than we thought. This also strongly supports the idea that low-mass/faint galaxies in the early universe are responsible for reionization.”
— Rachana Bhatawdekar, ESA

Read the full story: Hubble Makes Surprising Find in Early Universe