An assistant physics professor at Kansas University is studying one of the earliest known clusters of galaxies.

The school says the early galaxies are 10 billion light years away. Observing them allows Greg Rudnick to look back to 4 billion years after the Big Bang. That’s because it takes light from the early galaxies’ stars so much time to reach Earth.

Rudnick considers this period vital because it included the quickest pace of star creation in forming galaxies.

He hopes his research will help answer questions about how stars are formed.

Rudnick makes his observations with the help of a vast radio astronomy observatory in New Mexico.