The Ingredients For Planets Turned Up Astonishingly Early

The new study from the University of Portsmouth suggests that the ingredients for planets formed much earlier in the universe's history than previously thought, as far back as 100 million years after the Big Bang. The research shows that the first stars, known as Population III stars, exploded in violent pair instability supernovae, releasing heavy elements like carbon, oxygen, and iron into space. These elements then enriched nearby gas clouds, which collapsed under gravity to form protoplanetary discs. The simulations found that these discs could have formed around stars similar in mass to the Sun, with solid material present at Earth's distance. The discovery challenges the long-held belief that planet formation was a late process, and raises the possibility that habitable worlds could have formed much earlier in the universe's history.

• The study suggests that the building blocks for planets were available almost from the start of the universe.
• The research shows that the first heavy elements were scattered into space, which could have contributed to the formation of planets.
• The simulations found that discs around young stars could have formed with solid material at Earth's distance.
• The discovery reframes how astronomers think about the earliest chapters of cosmic history.

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