ESA’s Herschel space telescope has discovered that previously unseen distant galaxies are responsible for a cosmic fog of infrared radiation. The galaxies are some of the faintest and furthest objects seen by Herschel, and open a new window on the birth of stars in the early Universe.

The data was taken with Herschel's PACS instrument and combines wavelengths of 70,100 and 160 microns. To date, it is the most sensitive image of the Universe taken with Herschel.