An international team of astronomers has detected light which has taken over 13 billion years to reach the earth. Writing in the British journal, Nature, the scientists say telescopes have never before detected anything coming from so far away.

The light was produced when a massive star exploded 13.1 billion years ago. Telescopes in Hawaii were able to observe the gamma-ray burst over a period of ten days.

Experts say the discovery could lead to a breakthrough in research into what is known as the cosmic Middle Ages. This refers to the period between the Big Bang, the beginning of the universe, and the development of the first star systems.

photo: Nature