Brightest galaxy discovered in far reaches of space

One of the brightest galaxies to date has been discovered by astronomers based in Spain. 

Scientists took advantage of a phenomenon called gravitational lensing, which occurs when light deviates through its proximity to a very large object, to find the galaxy. The galaxy, WISE J132934.18+224327.3, is about a thousand times brighter than the Milky Way and is 10 thousand million light years away.

Anastasio Díaz Sánchez, a researcher at the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT) and first author of the article said: “Thanks to the gravitational lens produced by a cluster of galaxies between ourselves and the source, which acts as if it was a telescope, the galaxy appears 11 times bigger and brighter than it really is, and appears as several images on an arc centred on the densest part of the cluster, which is known as an "Einstein Ring."

Gravitational lensing does not distort the spectral properties of the light so distant objects can be studied as if they were much closer. In order to find this galaxy, a search of the whole sky was carried out, combining data from both the WISE and Planck satellites to find submillimetre galaxies. Using the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), the astronomers searched for these galaxies as they emit strongly in the far infrared. Submillimetre galaxies are vital for researchers as they provide important clues of the formation and evolution of galaxies in the distant universe.

This galaxy has a very high rate of star formation, with 1000 stars created every year – compared to the Milky Way’s two annual solar masses. The researchers’ next steps will be to study the galaxy’s molecular content.

The study was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.