Researchers have developed a model that proposes a two-stage formation of spiral galaxies. Over a 10 billion period, stars were formed in two stages. The first generation stars are rich in elements such as oxygen, magnesium and silicon while the latter ones are rich in iron, including our Sun.
Calculations developed by researchers at the Tohoku University, based on the “cold flow accretion” theory, developed by researchers at The Hebrew University, have revealed previously unknown details about our galaxy. The history of the Milky Way is engraved in the elemental composition of stars because they inherit the composition of the gas from which they are formed. Specifically, stars memorize the element richness in gas at the time they are formed.