13.2 billion years old galaxy

Scientists Discover Oldest, Farthest Known Galaxy

It’s not quite as old as the universe. But galaxy EGS8p7, according to Caltech astrophysicists, is 13.2 billion years old — compared to the universe’s 13.8 billion — and smashes expectations by having what’s known as a Lyman-alpha line, a spectral signature caused by superhot hydrogen gas, usually only present in very young galaxies that are churning out stars. The researchers plan to investigate further and hope the galaxy’s unique spectrographic signature will help inform our understanding of the universe’s infancy and evolution.