Mexico, Dec. 24 (Notimex).- A group of astronomers discovered one of the only three known fossil clouds in the Universe, which will offer new data on the formation of the first galaxies. The cloud of orphan gas that formed after the Big Bang was discovered in the distant Universe, through the optical telescope of the WM Keck Observatory in Maunakea, Hawaii. The discovery of the galactic fossil was carried out by PhD student Fred Robert and Professor Michael Murphy at the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia. “Everywhere we look, the gas in the universe is contaminated by the waste of heavy elements from exploding stars,” Robert said. However, he explained, this particular cloud seems pristine, not polluted by stars, even 1,500 million years after the Big Bang. “The most convincing explanation is that it is a true relic of the Big Bang,” he said. According to the WM Keck Observatory, the other two known fossil clouds were discovered in 2011, however, it is now possible to inspect these fossil relics, said Michael Murphy. “That will tell us exactly how rare they are and will help us understand how some stars and galaxies formed gas in the early universe and why some do not,” he said. NTX/ICB/MAG/JCG
