Object Analysis

The Methuselah Star (HD 140283) is an extremely metal-poor subgiant star located about 200 light-years away in the constellation Libra. It is one of the oldest known stars in the universe. Its name refers to the biblical figure known for his long life, fitting for a star that formed shortly after the Big Bang.

For many years, the star was a source of controversy because early age estimates placed it at 16 billion years old—older than the universe itself. Refined measurements by the Hubble Space Telescope have since corrected this to approximately 14.3 billion years, which, when accounting for a margin of error, puts its birth right at the dawn of cosmic history.

Because it is so old, the star contains almost no "metals" (elements heavier than helium), as it formed before later generations of stars could enrich the galaxy with heavier elements. The Methuselah Star is a "visitor" from the galactic halo, currently passing through our solar neighborhood at a high velocity of about 1.3 million kilometers per hour.