Cluster of stars 13.3 billion light years away discovered

By JOHN VON RADOWITZ
Published on 17/11/2012 00:09

A FUZZY cluster of stars 13.3 billion light years away is believed to be the most distant object ever observed.

Light from the tiny embryonic galaxy began its journey to Earth 420 million years after the Big Bang that created the universe. Scientists think the object, code-named MACSO647-JD, could be one of the building blocks of the early cosmos.

The galaxy dates back to when the universe was only 3 per cent of its present age of 13.7bn years.

The fuzzy galaxy was imaged with the help of a natural “zoom lens” more powerful than any man-made telescope.

Gravity from a huge cluster of galaxies between the Earth and MACSO647-JD bent light rays from the object in a way that massively magnified its image.

The “gravitational lensing” effect allowed astronomers to photograph the galaxy using the Hubble Space Telescope.

Dr Marc Postman, from the Space Telescope Science Institute in the US, said: “The cluster does what no man-made telescope can do. Without the magnification, it would require a Herculean effort to observe this galaxy.”

It is the second time the record for the most distant object has been broken this year.

In April, astronomers announced the discovery of a galaxy that existed when the universe was about 490 million years old, making it more remote than anything seen before.