Different cosmic items like galaxies and exoplanets have also formed after the Big Bang formed our universe over 13 billion years ago. However, discovering these ancient things isn’t so straightforward- this explains why scientists are just finding some of them out. This article explores the oldest things in the universe and their ages, from ancient galaxies to black holes and stars.
The oldest Black Hole
Black holes are gravitationally domineering celestial bodies; not even light can escape their event horizons. While several black holes have been discovered recently, one of them is one of the oldest objects in the universe.
Courtesy: Smithsonian Magazine
The oldest black hole is estimated to be about 10 billion times bigger than the sun. It is a large black hole located at the center of the Abell 2261 galaxy cluster; scientists think it formed 900 million years after the Big Bang- over 13 billion years ago.
The oldest stars in the universe
The oldest stars are called Population III stars, massive stars with lifetimes of only a few million years. Scientists also believe these stars led to the creation of many heavier elements in the universe today.
Courtesy: Sci.News
Population III stars were formed shortly after the Big Bang (about 13.8 billion years ago). These Population III stars were found to be composed of helium and hydrogen, with only traces of other elements.
The oldest white dwarf in the universe
A white dwarf is a dying star of low or medium mass; they are less bright but more dense and solid than the sun. One of the ancient objects in the universe is a white dwarf.
Courtesy: Universe Today
Located about 50 light-years away from Earth, a white dwarf referred to as BPM 37093 is about 11 billion years old. This means it was created almost 3 billion years after the Big Bang.
The oldest galaxy in the world
The most ancient galaxies are so old that they are located at the edge of the observable universe. Called ‘redshifted galaxies,’ scientists believe they formed around 13.4 billion years ago.
Courtesy: Wikipedia
Located about 32 billion light-years away from our planet, GN-z11 is one of the oldest galaxies in the universe. The ancient galaxy formed only about 400 million years after the Big Bang.
The overall oldest object in the universe
While the oldest galaxies and black holes were formed shortly after the Big Bang, the oldest object in the universe was formed when the universe was still a ‘baby’. So what’s this ancient object that is almost the universe’s age-mate?
Courtesy: Wikipedia
The cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB), which is believed to be the afterglow of the Big Bang, is the oldest object in the cosmos. Estimated to be 13.8 billion years ago, it is a faint glow of radiation that originated about 380,000 years after the creation of the universe.
