An ultra-metal-poor star from the Large Magellanic Cloud illuminates early star formation

Nature Astronomy, Published online: 15 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41550-026-02818-5 Metal-poor stars are thought to be relics of the early Universe. Measurements of SDSS J0715-7334 show that this star has a metallicity 0.005% of that of the Sun and originated from the Large Magellanic Cloud. These findings provide evidence that dust cooling enabled the first low-mass stars to form.