Photo: Big Bang Ripples Formed Universe's First Stars

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Images from a computer simulation show gases coming together to form a protostar, the seed of a primordial star likely similar to those that existed after the big bang 13.7 billion years ago.

The new simulation, described in a July 2008 study, brings astronomers a step closer to simulating the entire birth of an early star all the way up to nuclear ignition.

Image courtesy Naoki Yoshida

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