A Baby Galaxy
Explanation:
What's the farthest galaxy known? The answer
keeps changing as astronomers
compete to find new galaxies which top the list.
The new record holder is now the faint red
smudge indicated in the
above image by the arrow.
Detected light left this galaxy
billions of years ago,
well before the Earth formed,
when the universe was younger than 1/10th of its present age.
Astronomers have measured a
redshift of
5.34 for this galaxy, breaking the
"5 barrier" for the first time.
Young galaxies are of much interest
to astronomers because many unanswered questions
exist on when and
how galaxies formed in the
early universe.
Although this galaxy's distance exceeds
that of even the farthest known
quasar,
it is still in front of the pervasive glowing
gas that is now seen as the
cosmic microwave
background radiation.
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.
