What process is usually required to confirm that a faint, fuzzy object is indeed a distant galaxy rather than foreground contamination?
Answer
Obtaining a spectrum to measure the redshift accurately.
Confirming the identity of faint, distant objects is difficult because they might resemble closer, smaller objects like local star clusters or foreground galactic features. The definitive method to confirm true cosmological distance and object type is obtaining a spectrum. Analyzing the spectrum allows astronomers to accurately measure the redshift, which is the telltale signature of light traveling across expanding space, thereby confirming the object's extreme distance and differentiating it from local phenomena.
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