University of Utah survey uses Hubble data to study early universe galaxies

Researchers led by the University of Utah have launched the Treasury of Extremely Metal-Poor O Stars (TEMPOS) survey to investigate why galaxies in the early universe appear significantly different from modern ones. Using ultraviolet light observations from the Hubble Space Telescope’s Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, the study examines massive stars in nearby galaxies that serve as analogs for the stars that existed shortly after the Big Bang.

These massive stars, often exceeding ten times the mass of the sun, act as engines of galactic change. They burn intensely bright and fast before ending their lives in supernova explosions, which deposit energy and material into surrounding gas. This process regulates the gas available for new star formation and influences the overall evolution of host galaxies. The TEMPOS dataset aims to provide better models for these early stars, which is essential for interpreting new data from the James Webb Space Telescope regarding the evolution of the early universe.