Narrator (Megan Watzke, CXC): The most distant galaxy cluster yet has been found some 10.2 billion light-years from Earth. This record-breaking object is known as JKCS041, and is seen as it was when the Universe was just one quarter of its present age. This composite image of the object contains x-rays from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, shown as the blue, diffuse cloud, as well as optical and infrared data from ground-based telescopes. Galaxy clusters are the largest objects in the universe held together by gravity. Scientists have calculated how quickly these clusters could start assembling after the Big Bang. And JKCS041 lies just inside that window. Future observations will provide scientists with an opportunity to learn about how the Universe evolved at this crucial stage.
Revised: October 26, 2009