'Oldest galaxy' discovered using Hawaii telescope [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

'Oldest galaxy' discovered using Hawaii telescope

Japanese astronomers on Hawaii say they have found a galaxy formed 12.91bn light years ago

Associated Press in Honolulu
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 12 June 2012 03.38 EDT



A team of Japanese astronomers using telescopes on Hawaii say they have seen the oldest galaxy yet discovered.

The team calculates that the galaxy was formed 12.91bn light years ago, and their research will be published in the Astrophysical Journal. The scientists with the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan used the Subaru and Keck telescopes on the summit of Mauna Kea.

A light year is the distance that light travels in a year, about 6 trillion miles (9.66 trillion kilometres). Seeing distant galaxies is in effect looking back in time.

Richard Ellis of the California Institute of Technology, an influential expert in cosmology and galaxy formation, said the latest work was more convincing than some other claims of early galaxies.

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/jun/12/oldest-galaxy-found-hawaii-telescope