Brussels, 13/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - A team of astronomers led by Johan Richard, a French researcher supported by the EU Marie Curie Fund, has discovered a galaxy 13 billion light years away from Earth. The star formation is said to have been created 200 million years after the Big Bang, and the French national scientific research centre (CNRS) where Richard works says the discovery provides key information about the period when the first galaxies were created and might help explain how the universe became transparent to ultraviolet rays a few billion years after the Big Bang. The Commission says the discovery “will help astronomers better understand the evolution of galaxies closer to the earth, which may have affected the planet's climate.” Androulla Vassiliou, the European commissioner responsible for the Marie Curie Fund, said: “This discovery represents a milestone in modern astronomy research and once again demonstrates our commitment to supporting pioneering study and mobility among the best European and international scientists.” (O.L./transl.fl)