Astronomers spot farthest ancient galaxy, a ‘deep window into the universe's ancient past’
The first and farthest galaxy on the record has been discovered by a new research, funded in part by NASA, which could provide a deep window into the universe's ancient past. The newfound galaxy called EGSY8p7, researchers said, gives significant insight into how the very first stars developed in the universe within the first few hundred million years after the Big Bang.
The team, composed of astrophysicists using the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, said the galaxy was formed when the universe was less than 600 million years old after the Big Bang. The galaxy EGSY8p7 was detected about 13.2 billion light-years away, which is measured most distant from Earth.
The EGSY8p7 was discovered through the infrared spectrograph at the observatory that detected the galaxy’s "Lyman-alpha emission line," or the hydrogen gas heated up by ultraviolet radiation streaming from the galaxy's newborn stars. The detection of Lyman-alpha line, according to a report from Keck Observatory, was a surprise as it came from a great distance frequently detected in galaxies close to Earth.
"We frequently see the Lyman-alpha emission line of hydrogen in nearby objects, as it is one of the most reliable tracers of star formation," Adi Zitrin, study lead author from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, said in a statement. The unexpected finding could help bring new information as guide on how the universe evolved in its youth, researchers said.
The result gives new insight to the formation of the first generation of galaxies through understanding the process of “cosmic reionisation.” Researchers stated cosmic reionisation is where radiation from early-formed galaxies split the dark clouds of hydrogen into its constituent protons and electrons, and making the universe transparent to Lyman-alpha light.
"In some respects, the period of cosmic reionisation is the final missing piece in our overall understanding of the evolution of the universe," Zitrin said. The study of sources such as EGSY8p7 will offer new insight into how the universe occurred by pushing back the frontier to a time when it was only 600 million years old.
Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au