Exploring the origins of the Milky Way galaxy

A new analysis from two astronomers at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, provides a better understanding of the Milky Way's dramatic early years.

By determining the age of individual stars in the galaxy, astronomers Hans-Walter Rix and Maosheng Xiang found that the thick disk of stars in the Milky Way began forming 13 billion years ago — 2 billion years earlier than scientists thought and only .8 billion years after the Big Bang. The findings provide new insights into the origins of Earth’s home.