Universe's first light may have originated from a leaky galaxy

NASA: A new study done by astronomers from John Hopkins University has found that first light in the Universe may have been released from a galaxy 'leaking' radiation into the Cosmos, which was in development stage at that time.

For the study, the astronomers examined large, star forming galaxies and found out the way radiation can leak through the clouds of cold gas that surrounds all such collections of stars. These covers of cold, dark gas act like a blanket and cover the families of stars.

"It's like the ozone layer, but in reverse. The ozone layer protects us from the sun's radiation but we want the gas cover the other way around. The star forming regions in galaxies are covered with cold gases so the radiation cannot come out. If we can find out how the radiation gets out of the galaxy, we can learn what mechanisms ionized the universe," Sanchayeeta Borthakur, assistant research scientist in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at John Hopkins University, said.

We know that these clouds of gas play an integral role in the creation of new stars but they create difficulties for astronomers to study ionizing radiation produced by distant galaxies.

Galaxy J0921+4509 is a starburst galaxy, which is actually a class of structures where new stars take birth frequently. According to astrophysicists, these galaxies mimic many of the same qualities which were present in the first families of stars in the ancient Universe. This collection of stellar families is located around three billion light years from the Milky Way and it produces stars 33 times faster than the Milky Way.