Hubble detects ultraviolet light from MXDFz4.4 during Epoch of Reionization
Technology
Hubble just detected ultraviolet light from MXDFz4.4, a tiny but mighty galaxy from 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang.
Scientists thought its ultraviolet light would be blocked by thick hydrogen gas, but MXDFz4.4 managed to shine through, helping make the universe transparent during what's called the Epoch of Reionization.
The discovery was published on June 23, 2026.
MXDFz4.4 forms stars 10 times faster
Even though it's only one-hundredth the size of our Milky Way, MXDFz4.4 forms stars 10 times faster!
Its intense ultraviolet bursts cleared out surrounding gas and backed up earlier James Webb findings that young galaxies played a big role in shaping our early universe and making space less foggy for future galaxies to shine.