Oldest galaxy identified by astronomers
ASTRONOMERS have identified the oldest and most distant galaxy known to man over 13 billion light years from Earth.
Scientists from the universities of Edinburgh, Bristol and Durham calculated the age of the galaxy using observations from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT), located in northern Chile.
The galaxy has been given the catchy name UDFY38135539.
"The distance from us would make it the most distant object we have ever been able to confirm. It is several hundred million years older than the previous record, but although that may sound like a long time, in astronomical terms it is not," said Malcolm Bremer, professor of astrophysics at the University of Bristol.
"The significance is that the galaxy existed at a time when the universe was significantly different to what it is now."