Astronomers have uncovered one of the youngest galaxies in the distant universe, with stars that formed 13.5 billion years ago, a mere 200 million years after the Big Bang. The finding addresses questions about when the first galaxies arose, and how the early universe evolved.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope was the first to spot the newfound galaxy. Detailed observations from the W.M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea in Hawaii revealed the observed light dates to when the universe was only 950 million years old; the universe formed about 13.7 billion years ago.
Infrared data from both Hubble and NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope revealed the galaxy's stars are quite mature, having formed when the universe was just a toddler at 200 million years old.
The galaxy's image is being magnified by the gravity of a massive cluster of galaxies (Abell 383) parked in front of it, making it appear 11 times brighter. This phenomenon is called gravitational lensing.
Hubble imaged the lensing galaxy Abell 383 with the Wide Field Camera 3 and the Advanced Camera for Surveys in November 2010 through March 2011.
Credits
NASA, ESA, J. Richard (Center for Astronomical Research/Observatory of Lyon, France), and J.-P. Kneib (Astrophysical Laboratory of Marseille, France); Acknowledgment: M. Postman (STScI)| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Abell 383 |
| Object Description | Gravitational Lensing Galaxy Cluster |
| R.A. Position | 02h 48m 06s.96 |
| Dec. Position | -03° 29' 31".81 |
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The image was created from Hubble data from proposal : M. Postman (PI; STScI) et al. The science team comprises: J. Richard (Centre for Astronomical Research/Observatory of Lyon, France), J.-P. Kneib (Astrophysical Laboratory of Marseille, France), H. Ebeling (Institute of Astronomy/University of Hawaii), D. Stark (Institute of Astronomy/University of Cambridge, UK), and E. Egami and A. Fiedler (Steward Observatory/University of Arizona) |
| Instrument | HST>ACS/WFC and HST>WFC3/IR |
| Exposure Dates | November 2010 through March 2011 |
| Filters | F775W (i), F814W (I), F850LP (z), F110W (YJ), F125W (J), F160W (H) |
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
| Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
| R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
| Distance | The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. |
| Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description |
|
| Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
| Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
| Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
| About The Image | |
| Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
| Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |
