Universe Expansion

New Clues About How Ancient Galaxies Lit up the Universe

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Calla Cofield
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
calla.e.cofield@jpl.nasa.gov 

 

This deep-field view of the sky (center) taken by NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes is dominated by galaxies – including some very faint, very distant ones – circled in red. The bottom right inset shows the light collected from one of those galaxies during a long-duration observation.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/Spitzer/P. Oesch/S. De Barros/I.Labbe

 

NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope has revealed that some of the universe’s earliest galaxies were brighter than expected. The excess light is a byproduct of the galaxies releasing incredibly high amounts of ionizing radiation. The finding offers clues to the cause of the Epoch of Reionization, a major cosmic event that transformed the universe from being mostly opaque to the brilliant starscape seen today. 

In a new study (Royal Astronomical Society), researchers report on observations of some of the first galaxies to form in the universe, less than 1 billion years after the big bang (or a little more than 13 billion years ago). The data show that in a few specific wavelengths of infrared light, the galaxies are considerably brighter than scientists anticipated. The study is the first to confirm this phenomenon for a large sampling of galaxies from this period, showing that these were not special cases of excessive brightness, but that even average galaxies present at that time were much brighter in these wavelengths than galaxies we see today. 

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This entry was posted in Ancient Look At Universe, Galaxies, Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS), Hubble Space Telescope, JPL Pasadena CA, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, News, Royal Astronomical Society, Swift Observatory Space Telescope, Universe Expansion and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , .

NASA Selects New Mission to Explore Origins of Universe

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Calla Cofield
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

Steve Cole 
NASA Headquarters, Washington 

 

NASA’s Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) mission is targeted to launch in 2023. SPHEREx will help astronomers understand both how our universe evolved and how common are the ingredients for life in our galaxy’s planetary systems. Credits: Caltech

 

NASA has selected a new space mission that will help astronomers understand both how our universe evolved and how common are the ingredients for life in our galaxy’s planetary systems.

The Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) mission is a planned two-year mission funded at $242 million (not including launch costs) and targeted to launch in 2023.  

 

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This entry was posted in Astronomy, Astrophysics, Kepler Space Telescope, NASA's New Frontier Program, News, Space Exploration – Spacecraft, Space Missions, Space Scientific Studies, Spectro-Photometer, SPHEREx, Spitzer Space Telescope, Universe Expansion and tagged , , , , , .