In the vast and diverse Universe, the initial mass distribution at the birth of a new population of stars determines the fate of galaxies. This relationship is described by the Initial Mass Function ...

A new article published in “Universe” describes an approach that looks back from the deaths of stars to their births, allowing the so-called initial mass function (IMF), i.e. the way in which star ...

The variation in the mass of newly born stars has been debated for decades. A star-count analysis now reveals that the initial mass of stars varies with their levels of metal elements, and that ...