Five-billion-year-old signal emitted by galaxy detected

A powerful Australian telescope detected a radio wave which was emitted by galaxy PKS B1740-517, located near the constellation Ara, five billion years ago, scientific sources reported Monday.

The galaxy was discovered by the telescope SKA Pathfinder, owned by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, or CSIRO, at the Murchison Radio-Astronomical Observatory, about 790 km northeast of Perth, Efe news agency reported.

CSIRO said in a statement the finding would allow greater glimpses in a period of history of the universe of which little is known.

The team, led by James Allison, used a special technique to detect a change in the radio waves from the bright centre of the galaxy B1740-517, according to CSIRO.

The almost imperceptible five-billion-year-old radio wave made of hydrogen gas that was travelling towards Earth, is at least 500 years younger than the galaxy.

Allison explained many observatories could not capture this signal "because it was hidden at the bottom of radial sound", but the radioelectric silence of the observatory allowed it to be captured "clearly".

According to a statement from CSIRO, the discovery of the galaxy, which was attended by several Australian universities, will be announced on Monday at an astronomical meeting in Britain.