Ultraviolet Dropout Definition

noun
The disappearance of an extremely distant galaxy from a telescope image when viewed through an ultraviolet filter, caused by the absorption of the galaxy's emitted ultraviolet radiation by intergalactic hydrogen gas.
American Heritage
A technique that identifies galaxies as extremely distant by comparing images taken through visible light (in which distant objects are often detectable) and ultraviolet filters (in which they are not).
American Heritage