(ORDO NEWS) — Scientists may have discovered one of the oldest objects in the universe. Astronomers have discovered an unidentified object 13.5 billion light-years from Earth, according to a new study yet to be peer-reviewed.
That this is almost the age of the universe itself, which means that the object, dubbed HD1, and which is probably an extremely distant galaxy, is one of the most ancient objects.
Dr. Avi Loeb , the same Harvard professor who calls ‘Oumuamua alien technology, took part in the study and told Live Science that the HD1 object has a lot to say about the events of the early universe.
“The first galaxies formed about 100 million years after the Big Bang,” Loeb told Live Science. “They [each such galaxy] was a million parts of the mass of the Milky Way and were much denser.”
Big secret of the universe
Scientists are not yet ready to say unequivocally what kind of object it is, how old it is, and whether it is a galaxy at all.
In fact, some astronomers believe there is a chance, however small, that HD1 could be a giant black hole . Fortunately, future observations are likely to clear up many questions.
“If HD1 is a black hole, then we should capture its X-rays,” Loeb added. “If we don’t find X-rays, then we should find radiation coming from massive stars [if HD1 is a galaxy].”
Fortunately, we have the most powerful tool in the history of space exploration, which is right now in the finishing line of calibration, to start working this summer.
This is, of course, NASA‘s James Webb Space Telescope , and scientists hope it takes the time to look at HD1 to provide invaluable data on the mysterious find.
And if the mighty “James Webb” can’t tell us more about the HD1, then it’s unclear what technology can.
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