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Dusty galaxies (galaxies containing substantial dust) are recognizable by their appearance at lower redshift, and at high redshift by their spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Many host considerable star formation (dusty star-forming galaxies, DSFGs) which can produce the dust and which also can produce a very high luminosity. The light from newly formed stars can be obscured by the dust, which, in turn, glows at a cooler temperature over a larger surface area, and the electromagnetic radiation (EMR) emitted by the galaxy is of longer wavelengths, peaking in the infrared. Such galaxies are some of the most luminous observed, and can be spotted at cosmological distances. A number of terms for them are based upon how their character was detected:
A challenge is that cosmological simulations do not create as many such DSFGs as are observed.