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Science

Slideshow: Caution: Baby Galaxies Onboard

A NASA observatory discovers dozens of "baby" galaxies in our midst. Scientists say the newborns could tell us a lot about our own aging Milky Way. By Amit Asaravala.
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Six of the three dozen massive "baby" galaxies discovered by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer are shown in this composite image. The galaxies, visible in the center of each panel here, appear as bright "diamonds in a field of stones," according to NASA.Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/Johns Hopkins

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Using an instrument that detects the ultraviolet light given off when stars are formed, NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer has spotted three dozen galaxies forming relatively close to the Milky Way galaxy. The spacecraft is shown in orbit around the Earth in this artist's rendering.

Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech