SPACE
LIGHTS OUT A dying star captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA/ESA/HUBBLE HERITAGE TEAM
THE UNIVERSE BEGAN nearly 14 billion years ago as a vast and dark mix of protons and electrons. Hydrogen formed gradually, along with helium and some lithium. That was the extent of variety in the universe until the first stars emerged. It would take those nuclear fusion machines to create oxygen and all the other, heavier elements that make up life. So pinpointing cosmic dawn— the time when the first stars formed—has long been a quest for astrophysicists. Now, they are one step closer.