Artist’s impression of a young galaxy accreting material

This artist’s impression shows a young galaxy, about two billion years after the Big Bang, accreting material from the surrounding hydrogen and helium gas and forming many young stars. New results from ESO’s Very Large Telescope have provided the first direct evidence that the accretion of pristine gas alone, without the need for violent major mergers, can fuel vigorous star formation and the growth of massive galaxies in the young Universe.