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First Stars: Composition

Graphic titled “Composition: First Stars Compared to the Sun,” consisting of two labeled pie graphs. On the left, a large purple circle representing the first stars shows three quarters hydrogen, one quarter helium, and trace amounts of lithium. On the right, a small orange circle representing the Sun shows more than two thirds hydrogen, more than one quarter helium, and two percent heavier elements. More details are provided in the Extended Description below.

The first generation of stars, also known as Population III stars, were made almost entirely of hydrogen and helium. Later generations of stars, including the Sun, contain heavier elements like oxygen, carbon, and iron, which formed in the cores of earlier stars.

  • Release Date
    February 22, 2019
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

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Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Image Credit

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

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