Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have assembled a comprehensive picture of the evolving universe – among the most colorful deep space images ever captured by the 24-year-old telescope. Researchers say the image, a composite made over a nine-year period, provides a missing link in star formation. For the first time, astronomers combined the full range of colors available to Hubble, stretching all the way from ultraviolet to near-infrared light. The resulting image- made from 841 orbits of telescope viewing time- contains approximately 10,000 galaxies, extending back in time to within a few hundred million years of the big bang. Ultraviolet light comes from the hottest, largest and youngest stars and shows up in the photo as bright baby blue. 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. Studying the ultraviolet images of galaxies enables astr! onomers to understand how galaxies grew in size by forming small collections of very hot stars. Because Earth's atmosphere filters most ultraviolet light, this work can only be accomplished with a space-based telescope.
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