"Discovery of Ancient 'Old Smoker' Stars in Milky Way Galaxy"
Astronomers from the University of Hertfordshire have discovered a new type of red giant star, nicknamed "an old smoker," near the center of the Milky Way during a 10-year study of almost a billion stars. Using an infrared telescope, the team also detected dozens of rarely seen newborn stars, known as protostars, hidden from view in visible light by large amounts of dust and gas. The discoveries could potentially change our understanding of how elements are distributed across space and have wider significance for the spread of heavy elements in other galaxies.