Population III en · PROPN
Etymology
Proposed as a category of stars of even poorer metallicity than Population II.
Meanings
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(attributive, usually) A hypothetical population or group of stars which may have existed in the early history of the Universe, characterized by being extremely massive and hot and having an extremely low metallicity.
Thus, the earliest stars – known as Population III – were likely composed of just hydrogen and helium.
2022 November 9, Brandon Vigliarolo, “This ancient quasar may be the remains of the first-gen star that started us all”, in The Register, archived from the original on 13 Dec 2022:Emerging from the primordial hydrogen and helium gas that pervaded the early universe, Population III stars would lack heavier elements, allowing them to reach humongous sizes—hundreds of times bulkier than our sun.
2022 December 6, Jonathan O'Callaghan, “Astronomers Grapple with JWST’s Discovery of Early Galaxies”, in Scientific American, archived from the original on 09 Dec 2022:In other words, we have not yet discovered a true Population III star; revealing these elusive, early stars is one of the main science goals of the soon-to-be-launched James Webb Space Telescope.
2019 October 26, Ethan Siegel, “Ask Ethan: How Many Generations Of Stars Formed Before Our Sun?”, in Forbes, archived from the original on 12 Nov 2020:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| population III | alternative | lexicographic |