The new furthest object in the universe is a galaxy known as HD1.
HD1 was discovered barely 330 million years after the Big Bang, at a distance of 13.5 billion light-years. And the far-flung galaxy could be hiding another surprise - either Population III stars, the universe's first stars, or the world's first supermassive black hole.
The findings were published today (April 7) in two papers: The Astrophysical Journal; and Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters (MNRAS).
Exact Galaxy HD1 Distance Revealed!
Apart from its inconceivable distance, the main thing about HD1 was its age. According to an introductory physics rule, the galaxy's estimated distance in light-years also means that it is almost as old (or possibly even older) than the entire universe itself. NewScientist added that the best estimate of the universe's age is 13.8 billion years.
It might imply that HD1 is not just the most distant astronomical object ever found, but also the oldest. That isn't even the most remarkable aspect of this latest finding.
According to a separate NewScientist report, the distance between HD1 and Earth could be as much as 33.4 billion light-years if the universe's expansion is taken into account. It places the galaxy roughly a billion light-years away from GN-z11, and more than double the 13.5 billion light-years calculated initially distance.
Picture of The Milky Way taken in 2010 over Balgowan, South Africa, near the base camp of Paraguay's football team during the 2010 World Cup.
How Space Telescopes Found Something From So Far Away
There are two explanations for this: ultraviolet light and the galaxy's potential categorization as a "starburst galaxy."
HD1 is exceptionally brilliant in UV light, according to scientists' findings. According to Space.com, it is a definite indicator that the galaxy has high-energy activity, suggesting that it forms new stars faster than our own Milky Way.
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The aformentioned is what distinguishes it as a "starburst galaxy." It is thought to create stars at a pace 10 times higher than any other galaxy of its type. But there's something else that helped the space telescopes find it - the existence of what may be the world's oldest supermassive black hole.
Scientists Took Billions of Hours to See Such a Galaxy
After almost 1,200 hours of observation with the Subaru Telescope, VISTA Telescope, UK Infrared Telescope, and Spitzer Space Telescope, HD1 was identified. Next, the scientists used the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) to validate the distance, which is 100 million light years more than the existing record-holder for the furthest galaxy, GN-z11.
To confirm the distance of HD1, the scientists utilized the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescope array in Chile.
"The significance of the signal is 99.99%," said Akio Inoue, a professor at Waseda University, who led the ALMA observations per Forbes. "If this signal is real, this is evidence that HD1 exists 13.5 billion light-years away, but we cannot be sure without a significance
For the time being, HD1 is considered a "candidate" galaxy pending confirmation by a separate team of scientists using other equipment or methodologies. According to the researchers, answering questions regarding the nature of a source that is so far away might be difficult.
HD1 could be a black hole, which would be an astounding find in and of itself. A black hole in HD1 must have expanded out of a gigantic seed at an unprecedented rate after forming a few hundred million years after the Big Bang.
The James Webb Space Telescope will peek at HD1 later this year to confirm its existence and learn more about its physical features. HD1 has already been chosen as a target for the first cycle of observations.
HD1 will be the most distant galaxy ever discovered, 100 million light-years farther away than GN-z11. HD1 will be the most distant galaxy ever found if the spectroscopic observation verifies its precise distance.
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