| LBG-2377 | |
|---|---|
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Hercules |
| Right ascension | 16h 44m 48.3s |
| Declination | +46° 27′ 08.2″ |
| Redshift | 3.03 |
| Distance | 11.4 billion light-years (3.5 billion parsecs) (light travel distance) ~21.2 billion light-years (6.5 billion parsecs) (present proper distance) |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 22.6 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | Galaxy merger |
| Other designations | |
| PC 1643+4631A-2377 | |
LBG-2377 is the most distant galaxy merger discovered, as of 2008, at a distance of 11.4 billion light years. This galaxy merger is so distant that the universe was in its infancy when its light was emitted. It is expected that this galaxy proto-cluster will merge to form a brightest cluster galaxy, and become the core of a larger galaxy cluster.
Discovery
Observations were conducted with the Keck Telescope in Hawaii by Jeff Cooke, a McCue Postdoctoral Fellow in physics and astronomy at UCI. While looking for single galaxies, Cooke found something that at first appeared like a bright, single object. However, further analysis of wavelengths of the emitted light proved that they were three galaxies merging, and likely two smaller galaxies.
See also
References
- ^ a b c Cooke, Jeff; Barton, Elizabeth J.; Bullock, James S.; Stewart, Kyle R.; Wolfe, Arthur M. (2008). "A Candidate Brightest Protocluster Galaxy at z = 3.03". The Astrophysical Journal. 681 (2): L57 – L60. arXiv:0803.3808. Bibcode:2008ApJ...681L..57C. doi:10.1086/590406. S2CID 5899170.
- ^ ABC Science "Found! Oldest galaxy pile-up"
External links
