In our project, we're using spectroscopy, the study of light, to learn more about distant galaxies and the early universe.
In astronomy, the closest we get to operating a time machine is using telescopes to look at light traveling across the universe. The light from distant galaxies takes time to reach us, and by the time it arrives at Earth, it tells us not only what galaxies looked like so long ago, but, more importantly, what was happening inside of them and how they developed into the kind of galaxies we see today, including the one we call home.