Oldest star in the galaxy
- Who
- HD 140283
- What
- 13,800,000,000 year(s)
- Where
- Not Applicable
- When
- 07 November 2017
HD 140283, around 190 light years from Earth, is believed to have formed shortly after the Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago. When the universe was formed, it consisted of hydrogen with some helium. As it evolved, the rest of the chemical elements appeared, formed by nuclear synthesis in stars. HD 140283 has almost no metal content so must have formed from clouds of gas consisting of almost pure hydrogen and helium, when the universe was young.