Faintest galaxy ever captured by scientists

Image for representational purpose only

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: A international team of researchers has confirmed that they have detected the faintest universe galaxy ever that might possibly help to explain how the "cosmic dark ages" ended.

The scientists found the galaxy as it was 13 billion years ago using the WM Keck Observatory on the summit on Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

According to Tommaso Treu, professor of physics and astronomy at University of California-Los Angeles, the discovery could be a step toward unraveling one of the biggest mysteries in astronomy -- how a period known as the "cosmic dark ages" ended.

According to the Big Bang theory, the universe cooled as it expanded. As that happened, Treu said, protons captured electrons to form hydrogen atoms, which in turn made the universe opaque to radiation -- giving rise to the cosmic dark ages.

(With IANS inputs)