Hubble telescope discovers galaxy at record distance

Associated Press : The most distant galaxy ever seen has been imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope. Its light traveled 13.4 billion light-years before reaching Earth, which means the galaxy was around when the universe was just 400 million years old. Dubbed GN-z11, the galaxy appears to be dark red in color because the universe’s expansion has stretched the light to larger wavelengths. GN-z11 is bright enough to be seen because it was forming stars 10 times as fast as our own Milky Way, according to the Space Telescope Science Institute’s Gabriel Brammer, one of the astronomers who made the discovery. Some scientists have concerns over the reliability of the technique used to deduce the galaxy’s age, but the research team expressed confidence in the result. The researchers say they have pushed Hubble to the limit of its capability, so the distance record is unlikely to be surpassed until the James Webb Space Telescope is up and running in 2018.