Stars in the early universe were born in "fluffy" cosmic blankets, revealing new insights from scientists about their formation and evolution.

When it comes to baby blankets, the fluffier, the better. Astronomers have discovered that some baby stars in the early universe also preferred "fluffy" prenatal cocoons. The study was published in The Astrophysical Journal, as reported by Space.

According to the study's authors, the early universe was rich in hydrogen and helium, with very few heavy chemical elements, which astronomers refer to as metals. In the Milky Way, the molecular clouds where stars are born have a filamentary structure that collapses to form a core, similar to a "stellar egg." This core draws in more gas and dust from the surrounding molecular cloud until the star "hatches."

The researchers utilized the ALMA radio telescope to investigate the conditions under which the first stars in the universe formed by observing a neighboring galaxy. Astronomers studied 17 molecular clouds, each containing growing stars with masses 20 times that of the Sun. They found that approximately 60% of the molecular clouds exhibited a filamentary structure about 0.3 light-years wide, while the remaining 40% had a "fluffy" shape.

Astronomers determined that the temperature within the filamentary molecular clouds was higher than that of the fluffy molecular clouds. Scientists believe this temperature difference is likely related to their age. When the temperature is high, the clouds are less turbulent; however, as they cool, the clouds become more chaotic, leading to the formation of a fluffy shape.

This impacts the emergence of new stars, as filamentary clouds are more likely to collapse, forming low-mass stars like the Sun. Conversely, if a cloud becomes fluffy, it struggles to collapse and create low-mass stars.

According to the researchers, a sufficient supply of heavy chemical elements is crucial for maintaining the filamentary structure and may play an important role in the formation of planetary systems.