Hubble Sees Most Distant Galaxy Ever Observed

Hubble Sees Most Distant Galaxy Ever Observed

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A team of U.S. and European researchers using the Hubble Space Telescope have captured infrared images of a blurry object they believe to be the oldest galaxy ever seen by man.

The object is thought to be 13.2 billion years old and was seen by the Hubble Ultra Deep Field instrument. That’s about 480 million years after scientists believe the universe was formed. The findings were published in the journal Nature.

The official Hubble website says that it will take time to confirm the findings:

Follow-up spectroscopic observations with the planned James Webb Space Telescope later in this decade will be needed to definitively confirm the object’s distance.

Copyright 2011 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.