For the first clip , scientists were capable to forecast   how the slow beat of old stars affect the amount of brightness level we get from distant galax . Scientists think that looking at these " starring heartbeats " could be   a young method acting to estimate the age of a galaxy .

For the study , astronomers from Harvard and Yale used a unique series of images of a Galax urceolata calledM87 , located 53 million light - year from us . The images were taken by Hubble over the course of three calendar month and show that almost one - quarter of the pel fluctuate   in brightness . The team shew that these periodic changes in brightness , or pulse , occur over 270 years .

Each pixel in the images control between 10,000 and 10 million lead , and the observed variation in illumination was found to be between 0.1 to 1 percent . This difference comes from the presence oflong - period variable ( LPV ) stars , such as red giants and even older stars . These aim   undergo unconstipated pulsations , within hundreds of day , as the out plate   expands and contracts , produce the notice changes in brightness .

These stars and their pulsing have been study in point   in the Milky Way ; observations beyond our galaxy are more difficult because it ’s slippery to keep apart the light of undivided star among millions of others . This project outfox the problem by looking at a big number of stars and keep apart the contribution from the LVPs .

“ We realized that these stars are so bright and their pulsation so strong , that they are hard to cover , ”   Professor Charlie Conroy ,   who led the research , said in astatement . “ We decided to see if the pulsations of these sensation could be detected even if we could n’t divide their light from the ocean of unchanging stars that are their neighbour . ”

Using their approach one can calculate the age of the galaxy , as the jr. a beetleweed is , the more   substantial the donation of the LPV stars will be . virtuoso in the early cosmos are on average with child than star carry today , so they age more quickly .   They estimated M87 is about 10 billion years old , which is consistent with other estimation method .

“ Our models propose that the pulse will be warm in young wandflower , and that ’s something we ’d love to try , ” said Jieun Choi , a alumnus scholarly person at Harvard and a co - author of the survey .

The research was issue inNature .