1 , ▁an ▁older ▁and ▁more ▁distant ▁galax y . ▁ ▁D ete ction ▁The ▁light ▁of ▁the ▁E GS Y 8 p 7 ▁galax y ▁appears ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁magn ified ▁two fold ▁by ▁gravit ational ▁l ens ing ▁in ▁the ▁light ' s ▁travel ▁to ▁Earth , ▁en abling ▁the ▁detection ▁of ▁E GS Y 8 p 7 , ▁which ▁would ▁not ▁have ▁been ▁possible ▁without ▁the ▁magn ification . ▁ ▁E GS Y 8 p 7 ' s ▁distance ▁from ▁Earth ▁was ▁determined ▁by ▁meas uring ▁the ▁red shift ▁of ▁L yman - alpha ▁em issions . ▁E GS Y 8 p 7 ▁is ▁the ▁most ▁distant ▁known ▁detection ▁of ▁hydro gen ' s ▁L yman - alpha ▁em issions . ▁The ▁distance ▁of ▁this ▁detection ▁was ▁surprising , ▁because ▁neutral ▁hydro gen ▁( atomic ▁hydro gen ) ▁clouds ▁filling ▁the ▁early ▁universe ▁should ▁have ▁absor bed ▁these ▁em issions , ▁even ▁by ▁some ▁hydro gen ▁cloud ▁sources ▁closer ▁to ▁Earth , ▁according ▁to ▁the ▁standard ▁cosm ological ▁model . ▁A ▁possible ▁explanation ▁for ▁the ▁detection ▁would ▁be ▁that ▁re ion ization ▁progress ed ▁in ▁a ▁" patch y " ▁manner , ▁rather ▁than ▁hom ogene ously ▁throughout ▁the ▁universe , ▁creating ▁patch es ▁where ▁the ▁E GS Y 8 p 7 ▁hydro gen ▁L yman - alpha ▁em issions ▁could ▁travel ▁to ▁Earth , ▁because ▁there ▁were ▁no ▁neutral ▁hydro gen ▁clouds ▁to ▁abs orb ▁the ▁em issions . ▁ ▁See ▁also ▁ ▁U DF j - 3 9