spacetoday.net: Astronomers see light from earliest stars

Posted: Thu, Nov 3, 2005, 7:50 AM ET (1250 GMT)
Spitzer image of infrared glow (NASA/JPL)

Astronomers announced Wednesday that they have detected light that may eminate from the universe's earliest stars. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope detected the infrared light from "giant blobs" during extended observations in the direction of the constellation Draco. Astronomers believe the light comes from "Population 3" stars, a hypothesized class of stars not previously detected that were the first to form after the Big Bang. The stars were extremely large and short-lived, shining brightly at ultraviolet wavelengths that have redshifted to infrared bands because of the expansion of the universe. Alternatively, the light may come from hot gas falling into the universe's first black holes.