Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A 3.5-Gyr-old galaxy at redshift 1.55

  • Letter
  • Published:

From Nature

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Abstract

ONE of the most direct methods of constraining the epoch at which the first galaxies formed—and thereby to constrain the age of the Universe—is to identify and date the oldest galaxies at high redshift. But most distant galaxies have been identified on the basis of their abnormal brightness in some spectral region1–4; such selection criteria are biased towards objects with pronounced nuclear activity or young star-forming systems, in which the spectral signature of older stellar populations will be concealed. Here we report the discovery of a weak and extremely red radio galaxy (53W091) at z = 1.55, and present spectroscopic evidence that its red colour results from a population of old stars. Comparing our spectral data with models of the evolution of stellar populations, we estimate that we are observing this galaxy at least 3.5 Gyr after star-formation activity ceased. This implies an extremely high formation redshift (z > 4) for 53W091 and, by inference, other elliptical galaxies. Moreover, the age of 53W091 is greater than the predicted age of the Universe at z = 1.55, under the assumption of a standard Einstein–de Sitter cosmology (for any Hubble constant greater than 50kms−1 Mpc−1), indicating that this cosmological model can be formally excluded.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. McCarthy, P. J. A. Rev. Astr. Astrophys. 31, 639–688 (1993).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Steidel, C. C., Pettini, M. & Hamilton, D. Astr. J. 110, 2519–2536 (1995).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Steidel, C. C., Giavalisco, M., Pettini, M., Dickinson, M. & Adelberger, K. L. Astrophys. J. 462, L17–L20 (1996).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Petitjean, P., Pécontal, E., Valls-Gabaud, D. & Charlot, S. Nature 380, 411–413 (1996).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Dunlop, J. S., Guiderdoni, B., Rocca-Volmerange, B., Peacock, J. A. & Longair, M. S. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 240, 257–284 (1989).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. di Serego Alighieri, S., Fosbury, R. A. E., Quinn, P. J. & Tadhunter, C. N. Nature 341, 307–309 (1989).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Tadhunter, C. N., Scarrott, S. M., Draper, P. & Rolph, C. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 256, 53P–58P (1992).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Rigler, M. A., Lilly, S. J., Stockton, A., Hammer, F., Le Fèvre, O. Astrophys. J. 385, 61–82 (1991).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Hamilton, D. Astrophys. J. 297, 371–389 (1985).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Lilly, S. J. Astrophys. J. 333, 161–167 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Stockton, A., Kellogg, M. & Ridgway, S. Astrophys. J. 443, L69–L72 (1995).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Rawlings, S. & Saunders, R. Nature 349, 138–140 (1991).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. Dunlop, J. S. & Peacock, J. A. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 263, 936–966 (1993).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. Windhorst, R. A., van Heerde, G. M. & Katgert, P. Astr. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser. 58, 1–37 (1984).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Oort, M. J. A. & van Langevelde, H. J. Astr. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser. 71, 25–38 (1987).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. Oort, M. J. A., Katgert, P., Steeman, F. W. M. & Windhorst, R. A. Astr. Astrophys. 179, 41–59 (1987).

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Neuschaefer, L. W. & Windhorst, R. A. Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser. 96, 371–399 (1995).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. Dunlop, J. S., Peacock, J. A. & Windhorst, R. A. in Galaxies in the Young Universe 84–87 (Springer, Berlin, 1995).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Morton, D. C., Spinrad, H., Bruzual, G. A. & Kurucz, R. L. Astrophys. J. 212, 438–445 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. McCarthy, P. J. Publs. astr. Soc. Pacif. 105, 1051–1057 (1993).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. Lacy, M., Rawlings, S., Eales, S. & Dunlop, J. S. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 273, 821–826 (1995).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. Webster, R. L., Francis, P. J., Peterson, B. A., Drinkwater, M. J. & Masci, F. J. Nature 375, 469–471 (1995).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Guiderdoni, B. & Rocca-Volmerange, B. Astr. Astrophys. 186, 1–21 (1987).

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Bruzual, G. B. & Charlot, S. Astrophys. J. 405, 538–553 (1993).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. Bressan, A., Chiosi, C. & Fagotto, F. Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser. 94, 63–115 (1994).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Charlot, S., Worthey, G. & Bressan, A. Astrophys. J. 457, 626–644 (1996).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  27. Magris, G. C. & Bruzual, G. A. Astrophys. J. 417, 102–113 (1993).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. Kurucz, R. ATLAS9 Stellar Atmosphere Programs and 2km/s Grid CDROM Vol. 13 (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA, 1992).

    Google Scholar 

  29. Scalo, J. M. Fund. Cosm. Phys. 11, 1–278 (1986).

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Burstein, D., Bertola, F., Buson, L. M., Faber, S. M. & Lauer, T. R. Astrophys. J. 328, 440–462 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Bressan, A., Chiosi, C. & Fagotto, F. Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser. 94, 63–115 (1994).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Windhorst, R. A. et al. Astrophys. J. 380, 362–383 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Cowie, L. L., Hu, E. M. & Songaila, A. Nature 377, 603–605 (1995).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Astronomy, Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3HJ, UK

    James Dunlop

  2. Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, EH9 3HJ, UK

    John Peacock & Raul Jimenez

  3. Astronomy Department, University of California, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA

    Hyron Spinrad & Daniel Stern

  4. NOAO/KPNO, 950 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, Arizona, 85726, USA

    Arjun Dey

  5. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 85287-1504, USA

    Rogier Windhorst

Authors
  1. James Dunlop
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. John Peacock
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hyron Spinrad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Arjun Dey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Raul Jimenez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Daniel Stern
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Rogier Windhorst
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dunlop, J., Peacock, J., Spinrad, H. et al. A 3.5-Gyr-old galaxy at redshift 1.55. Nature 381, 581–584 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/381581a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/381581a0

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Search

Navigation