Astronomers have discovered the galaxy JADES-GS-z14-0, the oldest known in the Universe, which challenges our understanding of the formation of early cosmic structures.
The team of researchers used the James Webb Space Telescope to capture the JADES-GS-z14-0 galaxy in the state it was in less than 300 million years after the Big Bang. Stefano Carniani of the Scuola Normale Superiore in Italy and Kevin Heinlein of the University of Arizona in the United States reported that the spectroscopic data unequivocally confirm the redshift
The size of the galaxy is impressive: its diameter exceeds 1600 light-years. Most of the radiation comes from young stars, not from the active supermassive black center. This indicates a mass of hundreds of millions of solar masses, which raises questions for scientists about the mechanisms of formation of such massive structures in such a short cosmological period.
The discovery of JADES-GS-z14-0 forces us to revise our understanding of the «Cosmic Dawn» — first billion years after the Big Bang. Previously, scientists believed that the early Universe was filled with a neutral hydrogen fog that scattered light. However, new data indicate the presence of large, bright, and well-formed galaxies in the early stages.
The analysis of the JADES-GS-z14-0 light revealed unexpectedly high dust and oxygen content, indicating several generations of massive stars that have already lived their lives and exploded as supernovae. This discovery prompts scientists to rethink the rate of stellar evolution in the early Universe.
Stefano Carniani emphasizes: “«JADES-GS-z14-0 becomes the archetype of this phenomenon. It is impressive that the Universe could create such a galaxy in just 300 million years».
Article about the discovery led by Carniani published in the journal Nature. Other articles studying the light properties of the galaxy can be found on arXiv here і here.
We remind you that the James Webb telescope discovered a unique exoplanet near the Earth. It is six times larger than Jupiter by weight.
Source: Sciencealert