A composite image of a molecular cloud used as a model to determine how stars are formed.
Hot off the astronomical press: the star census is complete. An international team of astronomers has conducted the first, comprehensive survey of stellar formation in the universe. The undertaking was ten times bigger than any star formation study before it, and confirmed
that the rate of star formation has slowed significantly over time. But the researchers upped the stakes with this one by finding that the universe is now almost out of star-making materials. Scientists used three massive telescopes for their observations, including the VLT
(Very Large Telescope) in Chile, and two in Hawaii: the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope
and the Subaru
. Through these telescopes the scientists observed hydrogen alpha emissions. They essentially took snapshots of star-forming galaxies 4, 7, 9 and 11 billion years ago, which they assembled into a sort ...
