Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Universe Edge


newfound object galaxy LAEJ095950.99+021219.1
False color image of the galaxy LAEJ095950.99+021219.1. In this image, blue corresponds to optical light (wavelength near 500 nm), red to near-infrared light (wavelength near 920 nm), and green to the narrow range of wavelengths admitted by the narrow bandpass filter (around 968 nm). LAEJ095950.99+021219.1 appears as the green source near the center of the image cutout. The image shows about 1/6000 of the area that was surveyed.
CREDIT: James Rhoads 
Astronomers have found the faintest galaxy yet seen in the deep, distant reaches of space, an object whose light has taken 13 billion years to reach us.
The tiny galaxy, which existed about 800 million years after the Big Bang created the universe, is among the top 10most distant objects known.
"This image is like a baby picture of this galaxy, taken when the universe was only 5 percent of its current age," Arizona State University astronomer James Rhoads said in a statement. "Studying these very early galaxies is important because it helps us understand how galaxies form and grow."
Rhoad

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