Hubble Space Telescope images galaxy scientists thought was impossible to find
The Hubble Space Telescope captured ultraviolet light from galaxy MXDFz4.4, which existed 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang. The galaxy contains young stars producing ionizing light that clears the surrounding opaque, neutral hydrogen gas. This discovery suggests similar early galaxies were responsible for removing the cosmic fog that once filled the universe.
What changed
Hubble identified a specific early galaxy, MXDFz4.4, that transforms its neighborhood by clearing neutral gas.
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Hubble Detects Early Galaxy Clearing Cosmic Hydrogen Fog
confidence 100%The Hubble Space Telescope captured ultraviolet light from galaxy MXDFz4.4, which existed 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang. The galaxy contains young stars producing ionizing light that clears the surrounding opaque, neutral hydrogen gas. This discovery suggests similar early galaxies were responsible for removing the cosmic fog that once filled the universe.
What's confirmed:
- Galaxy MXDFz4.4 existed 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang.
- The Hubble Space Telescope detected ionizing ultraviolet light from galaxy MXDFz4.4.
- Tightly clustered young stars in the galaxy produce light capable of transforming opaque, neutral gas within and around it.
- This process clears the neutral fog of hydrogen gas that previously filled the cosmos.