Sussex researchers help see further into universe than ever before

They've helped develop a telescope which can see up to 10 billion lightyears away

Author: Katie AhearnPublished 24th Oct 2025

Researchers at the University of Sussex are helping us see further into the universe than ever before.

They're part of a team observing the sky in Chile, after helping to develop a new telescope which can capture objects up to 10 billion light-years away.

The 4-metre Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope is one of the biggest of its kind, and uses almost 2,500 hair-sized optical fibers to look deep into the stars.

Some of its fibres are used to study rare objects, while others are picking up on huge samples of stars or galaxies.

It's first observation was made on the 18th of October, with the University's Professor Jon Loveday on the team capturing the first light.

The project's been worked on by 30 universities and research institutes across Europe and Australia.

With four Sussex faculty members and five students on the team, it's hoped the telescope will be part of 25 different science programmes within it's first five years of use.

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