We now know that the first galaxies in our universe formed shockingly fast, thanks to the latest results from the James Webb Space Telescope
In a cosmological matchup of “Are they or aren’t they?” the contest is firmly in the former’s favor—10 to one, at last count. The question is one of profound importance: Are the galaxies the James Webb Space Telescope is seeing in the early universe really as astonishingly remote as we think they are? So far, the answer is a resounding yes. “The vast majority of these galaxies are being confirmed,” says Steven Finkelstein, an astronomer at the University of Texas at Austin.
Thus, while the photometric results came thick and fast last summer, the spectroscopic results have only just begun trickling out. Already, though, with spectra-based distances in hand from only about a dozen candidates, researchers are finding that most measurements are matching the early photometric results. The latest, published in Nature Astronomy last week, confirm earlier distance estimates for four more galaxies identified by the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey .
The good news is that this particular galaxy appears to be a “unique case,” Donnan says. The same study was able to confirm that two other candidate galaxies did not have the same problem. One of these is Maisie’s galaxy, which is seen at a redshift of 11.4, about 400 million years after the big bang, and was named for Finkelstein’s daughter. “She was very excited when I told her it was real,” Finkelstein says.
Some problematic—and potentially model-busting—early-universe candidate galaxies still remain. First among them may be a class of galaxies identified by Ivo Labbé of the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia and his colleagues. The team found galaxies with billions of solar masses, comparable in weight to the Milky Way, from just an estimated 750 million years after the big bang.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'60 Minutes' Investigates Deep Space and the James Webb Space TelescopeScott Pelley of '60 Minutes' sat down with astronomers to discuss the amazing images the James Webb Space Telescope has already captured.
Read more »
'Green Monster' supernova is the youngest in the Milky Way, James Webb telescope revealsNew James Webb Space Telescope images reveal the grisly past of Cassiopeia A, the youngest known supernova remnant in the Milky Way.
Read more »
Webb telescope captures 'green monster' inside a young supernova | CNNThe James Webb Space Telescope captured colorful, never-before-seen details in Cassiopeia A, one of the most well-observed remnants of an exploded star.
Read more »
James Webb captures image of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A | Digital TrendsA stunning new image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows a famous supernova remnant called Cassiopeia A, or Cas A.
Read more »
After James Webb controversy, NASA rethinks honorary mission namesWebb’s critics say he was complicit in the firing of gay and lesbian employees during the “Lavender Scare” starting after World War II.
Read more »