NASA reveals Terzan 5 fossil from Milky Way formation
Technology
NASA just revealed that Terzan 5, a star system first spotted back in 1968, isn't just another cluster: it's actually an ancient "fossil" from when the Milky Way was forming.
Thanks to the James Webb and Hubble telescopes, scientists found four different generations of stars packed into this one system, shaking up what we thought we knew about how our galaxy came together.
Terzan 5 12.5 billion years old
Terzan 5 is about 12.5 billion years old, making it one of the oldest star systems in our galaxy.
Unlike most clusters, it kept making new stars for billions of years; some are as "young" as 2.5 billion years old.
This discovery hints there could be more hidden relics like this in the Milky Way's core, giving us fresh clues about how galaxies get started.