Science & Tech · Space · 6 hrs ago
VVV CL001 Could Be Among the Milky Way’s Oldest Star Clusters
Researchers from Italy and Chile have studied VVV CL001, a star cluster in the Milky Way’s inner bulge.
They say it could be nearly as old as the universe and may be the galaxy’s oldest-known globular cluster.
Astronomers look for low levels of metals when searching for very old stars, because heavier elements built up across generations of stars.
VVV CL001 has less than one percent of the Sun’s iron relative to hydrogen, making it an unusually strong candidate.
But the cluster is faint and hard to observe in a crowded, obscured part of the galaxy, and its unusual motion has also made it difficult to measure.
It was discovered in 2010 and confirmed as a globular cluster in 2019.
The researchers used alternative methods to study its age and location, but the available information does not give the findings of those analyses.
Researchers say the globular cluster VVV CL001 could be among the Milky Way’s oldest star clusters.
The cluster is remarkably poor in metals, with an iron-to-hydrogen ratio less than one percent of the Sun’s.
Researchers from Italy and Chile analyzed the cluster, which lies in the inner bulge of the Milky Way.
Its age and distance have been difficult to establish because it is faint and lies in a crowded, highly obscured region.
A new paper is a preprint and is slated for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics.
- Who
- Researchers from Italy and Chile studied VVV CL001.
- What
- They say the globular cluster could be among the Milky Way’s oldest.
- When
- The paper is currently a preprint; a publication date is not stated.
- Where
- VVV CL001 is in the inner bulge of the Milky Way.
- Why
- Its very low metal content suggests it may have formed before generations of stars enriched the galaxy with heavier elements.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
VVV CL001 was discovered.
The cluster was confirmed to be a globular cluster.
Discover reported on a preprint analyzing the cluster and its possible age.
- Name
- VVV CL001
- Location
- Inner bulge of the Milky Way
- Iron-to-hydrogen ratio
- Less than one percent of the Sun’s
- Discovery
- 2010
- Confirmation as a globular cluster
- 2019
- Paper journal
- Astronomy & Astrophysics
What people are saying
perhaps the most metal-poor globular cluster in the Galactic bulge
It is located in a very crowded, highly extincted region of the bulge