The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has achieved a groundbreaking astronomical milestone by identifying the most distant galaxy known to date, designated as JADES-GS-z14-0. This galaxy was observed in a state existing merely 290 million years after the Big Bang, which places our viewing point at a time when the universe was just 2% of its current age of 13.8 billion years.
The James Webb Space Telescope zooms in on the Horsehead Nebula in extraordinary detail…
Located roughly 1,375 light-years from Earth, this unique nebula is part of the much larger Orion molecular cloud complex. It’s a relatively small & dark nebula with a distinctive shape. 🐴 pic.twitter.com/leSE0QOiMf
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The discovery was made possible by Webb’s advanced capabilities, including its expansive 6.5-meter primary mirror and highly sensitive infrared instruments. Prior to this, the record for the most distant galaxy observed was set by Webb at 325 million years post-Big Bang.
What sets JADES-GS-z14-0 apart is not solely its immense distance from Earth, but also its surprising size and luminosity. The galaxy spans over 1,600 light years and showcases a significant amount of light, believed to be emitted from a multitude of young stars rather than from gas accreting into a supermassive black hole. This revelation indicates that the galaxy’s mass is several hundred million times that of the Sun, leading astronomers to ponder how such a large and luminous galaxy could form so quickly in the universe’s history.
NASA has released this beautiful new image of Uranus captured by James Webb Space Telescope pic.twitter.com/Ai5RMfY5cP
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This question is explored by astronomers Stefano Carniani of the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, Italy, and Kevin Hainline from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. They note the presence of oxygen in the galaxy, suggesting it has undergone rapid maturation and hosted multiple generations of massive stars.
Launched in 2021, the $10 billion JWST is a collaborative project of the US, European, and Canadian space agencies. It was designed to peer further across the universe and deeper into the past than any other telescope before it. Among its primary goals is the identification of the universe’s first stars, colossal bodies made purely of hydrogen and helium, theorized to have lived explosively short lives while forging heavier chemical elements in their cores.
The findings about JADES-GS-z14-0 contribute to our understanding of the early universe’s stellar dynamics and chemical composition. The galaxy’s examination was part of the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), which investigates the cosmos’s formative first few hundred million years. This survey, and the discovery of the galaxy at what is termed “Redshift 14,” indicate how the stretching of light to longer, infrared wavelengths by the universe’s expansion allows JWST to observe such ancient cosmic objects.
NEWS🚨 : James Webb Space Telescope discovers the most distant known galaxy pic.twitter.com/eR6XObChxT
— Curiosity (@MAstronomers) May 30, 2024
Professor Brant Robertson of the University of California at Santa Cruz remarked on the sensitivity of Webb’s instruments, noting that the galaxy could have been detected even if it were ten times fainter. This capability suggests that JWST may soon provide insights into even more distant parts of the universe, potentially reaching back to within the first 200 million years after the Big Bang.
Major points
- The James Webb Space Telescope has set a new record by discovering the most distant galaxy known, observed just 290 million years after the Big Bang.
- Named JADES-GS-z14-0, the galaxy is exceptionally large and bright for its early place in cosmic history, spanning over 1,600 light years.
- Instead of a black hole, the galaxy’s light is predominantly emitted from young stars, suggesting rapid formation and growth.
- The presence of oxygen indicates that JADES-GS-z14-0 has experienced multiple generations of star formation, pointing to a surprisingly mature galaxy at a very early age.
- This discovery is part of the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), aimed at probing the universe’s earliest galaxies and stars.
Fallon Jacobson – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
