spacetoday.net: Planck data show first stars formed later than expected

Planck data show first stars formed later than expected

Posted: Sat, Feb 7, 2015, 9:54 AM ET (1454 GMT)
Planck spacecraft illustration (ESA)

Analysis of data from ESA's Planck spacecraft show the universe's first stars formed more than 100 million years later than previously thought. Astronomers studying the Planck data concluded that the "Dark Ages" of the early universe, which ended as the first stars formed, took place about 550 million years after the Big Bang, more than 100 millions years later than previously calculated from data by NASA's WMAP spacecraft. The revised, younger ages provide a better explanation of the ages of the youngest galaxies as well.