Finding the ashes of the first stars   Artist’s impression of a quasar located in a primeval galaxy (or protogalaxy) a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. Astronomers used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to discover substantial amount of iron in three such quasars. This is the first time that anyone has found elements believed to have been created exclusively by the first generation of stars.   The remote quasars SDSS J083643.85+005453.3, SDSS J103027.10+052455.0, and SDSS J104433.04-012502.2, as observed with the NICMOS (Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrograph) instrument on board the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. The quasars are shown in the centre of each image and are some of the most distant quasars known (redshifts of 5.82, 6.28, and 5.78). Quasars are some of the most exotic and ultraluminous sources known. They are powered by supermassive black holes in their centres. Release date: 25 June 2003