The signal allows experts a view into the deepest secrets of the early cosmos. The signal was captured thanks to the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope in India. It is the first time astronomers have spotted such a signal at such vast distances. “A galaxy emits different kinds of radio signals. Until now, it’s only been possible to capture this particular signal from a galaxy nearby, limiting our knowledge to those galaxies closer to Earth,” explained Arnab Chakraborty, a Post-Doctoral Researcher at McGill University.

A star-forming galaxy known as SDSSJ0826+5630

The radio signal originated from a distant galaxy known by its not-so-original name SDSSJ0826+5630. The signal allowed astronomers to measure its gas composition. Astronomers explored the atomic mass of the gas content of the galaxy and have learned it is nearly twice the mass of stars visible to us. The signal would not have been possible to study without a bit of help from the universe itself. Scientists were lucky to have been aided by a naturally occurring phenomenon called gravitational lensing. This allows scientists to capture signals from record-breaking distances. The study, detailing the discovery, has been published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.