A Distant Galaxy in the Deep Field
Credit & Copyright: K. Lanzetta and A. Yahil (SUNY)
and NASA
Explanation:
Researchers believe that the faint reddish smudge indicated
by the arrow in the image above is
a candidate for the most distant known galaxy
which may have existed only a few hundred million years after
the Big Bang. The image is part of
the Hubble Deep Field, the Hubble
Space Telescope's deepest yet picture of the Universe. Made in December
1995 by staring for ten consecutive days with the Hubble, astronomers
have been intently
studying the resulting deep field image
filled with remote galaxies for
clues to what galaxies and the Universe looked like in the distant past.
While nearby galaxies are easily detected in the image -
some seen here have visible elliptical and even spiral structures -
the most distant (and therefore oldest) galaxies
must be
identified by examining their appearance in
different wavelengths of light.
Based on this technique,
six of the most distant galaxies in the Deep Field appear to be farther
away than even
quasars.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
