WASHINGTON (June 3, 2014) — NASA has released what it calls one of the most colorful images of deep space ever captured by the Hubble Telescope.
The agency says this composite image includes about 10,000 galaxies and goes back to within several hundred million years of the big bang. The consensus among astrophysicists and the scientific community is that the universe is between 13 and 14 billion years old.
Aside from the size and scope of the image, NASA also says this composite is important in our study of the cosmos, due to its inclusion of ultra violet and near-infrared light.
“Ultraviolet light comes from the hottest, largest and youngest stars,” reads a news release on NASA.com. “By observing at these wavelengths, researchers get a direct look at which galaxies are forming stars and where the stars are forming within those galaxies.”
