GN-z11 facts for kids
GN-z11 is a very special galaxy. It is the oldest and farthest galaxy ever found by humans. Imagine looking back in time almost to the very beginning of the universe! That's what seeing GN-z11 is like.
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What is a Galaxy?
A galaxy is a huge group of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter all held together by gravity. Our own home, Earth, is part of the Milky Way galaxy. Galaxies come in many shapes and sizes, like spirals, ovals, or irregular blobs.
Discovering GN-z11
Scientists first found GN-z11 in 2016 using the Hubble Space Telescope. This powerful telescope can see very faint and distant objects. At the time, GN-z11 was the most distant galaxy ever seen.
How Do We See So Far?
Light travels incredibly fast, but it still takes time to cross vast distances in space. When we look at very distant objects like GN-z11, we are actually seeing them as they were a very long time ago. The light from GN-z11 has traveled for about 13.4 billion years to reach us! This means we are seeing the galaxy as it looked when the universe was only about 400 million years old. That's like looking at a baby picture of the universe!
What Does GN-z11 Look Like?
GN-z11 is a relatively small galaxy, often called a "dwarf irregular galaxy." It's much smaller than our Milky Way. Even though it's small, it was forming stars very quickly in its early life. Studying galaxies like GN-z11 helps scientists understand how the first galaxies formed and grew after the Big Bang.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Artist's conception of GN-z11 galaxy
