By Ron Cowen
Tracing the history of star formation in the Milky Way galaxy, astronomers have turned to the wisdom of the ancients.
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Analyzing the composition of 70 of the oldest known stars in the galaxy—the largest such sample so far—scientists have found new evidence that a generation of short-lived stars preceded this elderly population. Moreover, the variation in composition among the old stars suggests that the oldest part of the Milky Way originated not in a single stroke of star formation but in bits and pieces that may have unfolded over several hundred million years.