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We Know What Turned on the Lights at the Dawn of Time

We finally know what brought light to the dark and formless void of the early Universe.

"This discovery unveils the crucial role played by ultra-faint galaxies in the early Universe's evolution," said astrophysicist Iryna Chemerynska of the Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris. What little light there was wouldn't have penetrated this fog; photons would simply have scattered off the free electrons floating around, effectively making the Universe dark. "Despite their tiny size, these low-mass galaxies are prolific producers of energetic radiation, and their abundance during this period is so substantial that their collective influence can transform the entire state of the Universe."

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