Translation of: Auf der Suche nach den ältesten Sternen. 2012.

Astronomers study the oldest observable stars in the universe in much the same way that archaeologists study ancient artifacts on Earth. Here, Anna Frebel--who is credited with discovering several of the oldest and most primitive stars using the world's largest telescopes--takes readers into the far-flung depths of space and time to provide a gripping firsthand account of the cutting-edge science of stellar archaeology. Weaving the latest findings in astronomy with her own compelling insights as one of the world's leading researchers in the field, Frebel explains how sections of the night sky are "excavated" in the hunt for these extremely rare relic stars--some of which have been shining for more than 13 billion years--and how this astonishing quest is revealing tantalizing new details about the earliest times in the universe.-- Source other than Library of Congress.

Includes bibliographical references (page 287) and index.

Preface -- An introductory remark -- 1. What is stellar archaeology? The first minutes after the Big Bang ; Stellar archaeology -- 2. Two centuries of pursuing stars. First glimpses of stellar rainbows ; Decoding starlight ; A new perspective of the cosmos ; Looking into the hearts of stars ; Modern alchemy ; The foundation of cosmology ; The origin of the elements -- 3. Stars, stars, more stars. The cycle of matter in the universe ; Astronomers and their metals ; Element nucleosynthesis in the cosmic kitchen ; Stellar diversity -- 4. Stellar evolution : from birth to death. Sorting stars ; A protostar forms ; The evolution of a low-mass star ; The evolution of a massive star ; Supernovae and supernova remnants ; Preliminary thoughts about working with metal-poor stars -- 5. Neutron-capture processes and the heaviest elements. How neon lamps relate to giant stars : element synthesis in the s-process ; Thorium, uranium, and r-process element synthesis ; Cosmo-chronometry : the oldest stars ; Nuclear astrophysics -- 6. Welcome to our Milky Way. A milky way above us ; The Milky Way's structure ; Dwarf galaxies ; Star clusters ; Naming stars -- 7. Tales told by light. A little lexicon of light ; Spectroscopy : deciphering starlight ; Element abundance analyses of stars ; The largest telescopes in the world ; Three steps toward success ; Observations with MIKE -- 8. Let's go observe some stars! Going stargazing ; Good-weather beer ; A sunset ; The observa-thon ; One hundred and five stars per night ; Computers, computers ... ; Tested by fire -- 9. The chemical evolution of the early universe. The first stars in the universe ; The family of metal-poor stars ; The most iron-poor stars ; The cosmic chemical evolution -- 10. Finding the oldest stars. Pursuing metal-poor stars ; Bright metal-poor stars ; Mt. Stromlo succumbs to bushfires ; The discovery of a record-breaking most iron-poor star ; The astronomical community -- 11. At the end of a cosmic journey. Cosmological simulations ; Where do metal-poor stars come from? ; Expectations of future surveys ; The next generation of giant telescopes ; Little diamonds in the sky.

Translation of: Auf der suche nach den ältesten Sternen.

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