Ancient Galaxy Amazes Scientists
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Astronomers, using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, have observed ultraviolet light escaping from a galaxy that has existed since only 1.4 billion years after the big bang.
The galaxy, called MXDFz4.4, appears during a critical period known as the Era of Reionization, when the universe transformed from a dense cosmic fog into the clear cosmos we see today.
This finding implies that similar galaxies in the distant, early universe were responsible for clearing the neutral fog of hydrogen gas that once filled the cosmos.
For more information, visit science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble
Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Paul Morris: Lead Producer
Music Credit:
"Planet Fly By" by Timothy James Cornick [PRS] via BBC Production Music [PRS] and Universal Production Music
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Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. However, please credit individual items as indicated above.
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Producer
- Paul Morris (eMITS)
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Technical support
- Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
Release date
This page was originally published on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
This page was last updated on Monday, June 22, 2026 at 10:56 AM EDT.