Overview
- The team measured a nitrogen-to-oxygen ratio of 0.46 in GS 3073, far exceeding yields from known stellar populations or explosions.
- Stellar-evolution models indicate only 1,000–10,000-solar-mass primordial stars produce this signature via a helium-burning carbon leak feeding the CNO cycle.
- The models predict these giants end their lives by collapsing directly into black holes weighing thousands of Suns rather than exploding as supernovae.
- GS 3073 contains an actively accreting central black hole that researchers say could be the remnant of such a star.
- The peer-reviewed study, led by the University of Portsmouth and the CfA and published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, forecasts that ongoing JWST surveys will uncover more nitrogen-excess galaxies to test the hypothesis.