What To Know
- The JADES-GS-z14-0 galaxy seen by the James Webb Space Telescope is the most distant and oldest galaxy ever observed, existing at only 300 million years old.
- This characteristic allows scientists to better understand the dynamics of star formation in the first galaxies of the Universe.
- In addition to its great distance and luminosity, JADES-GS-z14-0 has also revealed surprising clues, such as the presence of oxygenwhich indicate that several generations of stars have already lived and died in this galaxy.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) continues to make groundbreaking discoveries in astronomy. The observatory has just spotted two of the oldest and most distant galaxies ever observed, breaking its own records. These discoveries offer new insights into the early universe and the formation of the first galaxies.
Two primordial galaxies spotted by the James Webb Space Telescope
The most distant galaxy discovered, JADES-GS-z14-0dates back to about 300 million years after the big Bang. This means that its light traveled for 13.5 billion years to reach the observatory’s main mirror. Another galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-1was also spotted and ranks among the oldest galaxies ever observed. These galaxies are part of a survey conducted as part of the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES) program. The latter aims to explore the early universe, including the formation of stars, gas and black holes in primordial galaxies. These observations help scientists better understand how galaxies formed and evolved in the first few hundred million years after the Big Bang.
The JADES-GS-z14-0 galaxy seen by the James Webb Space Telescope is the most distant and oldest galaxy ever observed, existing at only 300 million years old. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, B. Robertson (UC Santa Cruz), B. Joh
Features of JADES-GS-z14-0
At first, scientists thought that JADES-GS-z14-0 could be the neighboring galaxy from a closer one. This confusion is understandable, since its light seemed to be superimposed on that of a foreground galaxy. However, more detailed analyses quickly dispelled this idea. Last October, the JADES team used special filters to examine it closely with the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on the James Webb telescope. These observations confirmed that JADES-GS-z14-0 is in fact much further away, about 13.5 billion light years from Earth. It is distinguished not only by its great distance, but also by its physical characteristics. With a width of approximately 1,600 light yearsshe is indeed relatively large for such an old formation. In addition, its exceptional brightness is mainly due to the presence of a large number of young stars. These nascent stars shine brightly, contributing to the light we see today. This observation contrasts with some very old galaxies where the light is dominated by the intense activity around supermassive black holes. This characteristic allows scientists to better understand the dynamics of star formation in the first galaxies of the Universe. Finally, in addition to its great distance and luminosity, JADES-GS-z14-0 has also revealed surprising clues, such as the presence of oxygenwhich indicate that several generations of stars have already lived and died in this galaxy. The discovery of JADES-GS-z14-0 is therefore crucial for several reasons. First, it demonstrates that massive and luminous galaxies could form very quickly after the Big Bang. Second, it offers a tangible example of the diversity of these objects that existed at the cosmic dawn. Finally, its detailed analysis could help astronomers refine their models of galaxy formation and understand the conditions that prevailed in the early Universe.
