Italian astronomers unearth distant 'Fossil galaxy'
Italian astronomers have found a super-rare "fossil galaxy" called KiDS J0842+0059, sitting about three billion light-years from Earth.
It's the most distant fossil galaxy ever discovered beyond our local universe, thanks to the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona.
Fossil galaxies are basically cosmic time capsules—packed with billions of old stars but no new ones, because they've stayed isolated and unchanged for billions of years.
Study of fossil galaxies helps understand early universe's conditions
KiDS J0842+0059 is special because it formed most of its mass early on and hasn't mixed with other galaxies since, keeping its structure dense and compact.
Researcher Crescenzo Tortora calls these galaxies "really rare," while Chiara Spiniello explains their lonely evolution makes them perfect for studying what the universe was like billions of years ago.
This find could help scientists piece together how galaxies formed and changed in the early days of the cosmos.