The age of the oldest known stars approaches the age of the universe, about 13.8 billion years. Some of these are among the first stars from reionization (the stellar dawn), ending the Dark Ages about 370,000 years after the Big Bang.[1] This list include stars older than 12 billion years, or about 87% of the age of the universe.
Name | Age (billions of years) |
Mass (M☉) | Distance (ly) | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BD+17°3248 | 13.8 ± 4[2][a] | ~0.8 | 968 | Milky Way halo | High uncertainty in age |
2MASS J18082002−5104378 | 13.53[3][4] | ~0.8 | 1,950 | Milky Way thin disk | |
SMSS J031300.36−670839.3 | 13.4[5] | ~0.75 | 6,000 | Milky Way halo or Globular clusters | |
J173823.38-145701.1[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.85 | 28,000 | Milky Way bulge | |
J182048.26-273329.2[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.8 | 20,000 | Milky Way bulge | |
J183744.90-280831.1[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.8 | 57,400 | Milky Way bulge | |
J183647.89-274333.1[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.8 | 22,000 | Milky Way bulge | |
J183812.72-270746.3[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.8 | 40,100 | Milky Way bulge | |
J183719.09-262725.0[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.8 | 32,600 | Milky Way bulge | |
J184201.19-302159.6[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.8 | 31,000 | Milky Way bulge | |
J184656.07-292351.5[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.75 | 31,000 | Milky Way bulge | |
J181406.68-313106.1[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.8 | 30,000 | Milky Way bulge | |
J181317.69-343801.9[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.75 | 21,000 | Milky Way bulge | |
J181219.68-343726.4[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.75 | 26,000 | Milky Way bulge | |
J181609.62-333218.7[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.8 | 33,900 | Milky Way bulge | |
J181634.60-340342.5[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.8 | 34,200 | Milky Way bulge | |
J175544.54-392700.9[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.8 | 44,000 | Milky Way bulge | |
J175455.52-380339.3[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.8 | 44,000 | Milky Way bulge | |
J175746.58-384750.0[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.75 | 30,000 | Milky Way bulge | |
J181736.59-391303.3[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.8 | 51,200 | Milky Way bulge | |
J181505.16-385514.9[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.8 | 16,000 | Milky Way bulge | |
J181921.64-381429.0[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.8 | 16,500 | Milky Way bulge | |
J175722.68-411731.8[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.85 | 40,400 | Milky Way bulge | |
J175021.86-414627.1[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.8 | 13,000 | Milky Way bulge | |
J175636.59-403545.9[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.8 | 32,000 | Milky Way bulge | |
J175433.19-411048.9[6] | 13.2 or more[7] | ~0.8 | 18,000 | Milky Way bulge | |
PSR B1620−26 | 12.7–11.2[8] | 1.35[citation needed] | 12,400 | Globular cluster Messier 4 | Host star of one of the oldest exoplanets. |
Gliese 414 | 12.4±5.2[9] | 0.65 | 38.7 | Milky Way disk | Host two exoplanets |
HD 140283 | 12±0.05[10] | 0.81 | 200.5 | Milky Way halo | Previously thought to be the oldest known star, at 14.46±0.8 Gyr[11] |