Unveiling the Formation of Massive Galaxies

Understanding how galaxies evolve is one of the key challenges facing astronomers today. In his Perspective, Conselice discusses how researchers are attacking the problem for the most massive galaxies in the universe. The key is to study images of galaxies at highly redshifted wavelengths, representing galaxy formation at the earliest time in the history of the universe. Aiding the search for answers are several new imaging and spectroscopic surveys that may reveal how massive galaxies form and grow.