NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope observed an unusually large and highly luminous galaxy at a record-breaking 290 million years after the big bang

Summ:

  • The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has discovered the most distant galaxy ever confirmed, named JADES-GS-z14-0, which appears as it existed just 290 million years after the Big Bang.

  • The discovery of this surprisingly luminous and massive early galaxy challenges theories about how galaxies formed in the cosmic dawn

  • JWST has been repeatedly breaking its own records for the most distant galaxies since beginning operations in 2022

more about:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjeenyw8rd2o

https://webbtelescope.org/contents/early-highlights/nasas-james-webb-space-telescope-finds-most-distant-known-galaxy

  • Drunemeton@lemmy.worldEnglish
    93·
    5 months ago

    “A redshift of one corresponds to a distance of more than 10 billion light-years. JWST’s studies showed that JADES-GS-z14-0 has a redshift of 14.32, the highest ever recorded.”

    Wow!

    “Usually gases like oxygen show up only after large groups of stars have lived their lives and died in supernova explosions,” Hainline says. “So seeing oxygen in a galaxy this young is like if you are an anthropologist and you find an enormous, ancient city that has evidence of iPhones.”

    That just boggles the mind!

    Can’t wait to get more data on this wee, spry, bizarre find.

      • Drunemeton@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8·
        5 months ago

        Ha ha ha!

        Well…

        We both saw the photo in the article. It’s a big photo, and they had to enlarge the teeny tiny spot this galaxy was in, then blow it up and actually add an arrow to point it out.

        Seems pretty wee to me!

        pikachupokerface.webp

      • remotelove@lemmy.ca
        5·
        5 months ago

        Size is relative and our perception of time (and the way we measure it) requires us to use numbers so large, most people can’t really visualize at the scales we are talking about.

        Off the top of your head, can you visualize how much space 10 billion apples would take up? Sure, you could calculate it, but it’s likely not something you could instantly visualize in your head.

        Honestly, I don’t know how to solve for that problem.

    • MonkderDritte@feddit.de
      1·
      5 months ago

      Why? Earlier galaxies had often bigger stars and supergiants & co. don’t live long but fuse to oxygen too, no?

  • JimSamtanko@lemm.ee
    762·
    5 months ago

    It’s a shame that things like this don’t make national headlines. I sometimes daydream about how cool it would be if we were all collectively interested in these things.

    • Etterra@lemmy.world
      41·
      5 months ago

      The only way you’re going to get the majority of Americans to pay attention to this is if you tell them that the Galaxy just got an abortion.

      • JimSamtanko@lemm.ee
        102·
        5 months ago

        Wow… no need for the hostility. It seems you completely missed my point entirely. Like… ENTIRELY.

        What I meant was:

        It’s a shame random people on the internet don’t consider this to be big news. Post like this get few comments and discussions, or bullshit negativity is incredibly popular and net tons of discussions.

        So imagine if PEOPLE- not websites found this interesting.

        Hope this clears things up and in the future, maybe try not an be so hostile about things you might not understand properly.

        • Nicoleism101@lemm.ee
          11·
          5 months ago

          I yearn for a social media like Lemmy where such things are on the foreground instead of constant stream of shitposts, news comments and memes

          I mean I can tailor it of course but then there is nothing left usually.

          And don’t get me wrong I don’t think there is anything wrong with memes and shitposts and news angry commenting or that it is inferior and I am superior because I am not interested that much in it but just that it is everywhere and I feel like I am drowning in the sea of shit

          I don’t consider myself better or ‘above it’ but there’s just too much of that stuff and not enough of the second. I don’t get how you can scroll news community constantly and make angry comments day by day for example. It’s extremely boring. Dystopia shitposts and general memeing quickly gets boring too.

          It’s just that I think comments are super fun for discussion and when I see only these that hunt for gaining points (even here?!) while I have them turned off it’s just… ehh. I lose the will for interaction. I need some substance.

          I tried to tailor Lemmy but it ends up kinda empty without all the meme and shitpost and politics which are not bad inherently but just too much is too much you know

  • Optional@lemmy.world
    25·
    5 months ago

    Some theories might allude that such brightness comes from a burgeoning supermassive black hole feasting on gas at the center of JADES-GS-z14-0. But in that case, light is usually concentrated into a much smaller region.

    Instead the best explanation Hainline and colleagues have found is that this exceedingly young galaxy has somehow already manufactured about a half billion stars.

    . . . How could a galaxy so young have already sparked so many stellar generations? “Usually gases like oxygen show up only after large groups of stars have lived their lives and died in supernova explosions,” Hainline says. “So seeing oxygen in a galaxy this young is like if you are an anthropologist and you find an enormous, ancient city that has evidence of iPhones.”

  • 4am@lemm.ee
    17·
    5 months ago

    There was some talk recently that perhaps the universe is as a much as twice as old as we suspected, which could account for (some?) aspects of it we try to explain with dark matter. I wonder if this discovery lends any weight to that?

  • MonkderDritte@feddit.de
    8·
    5 months ago

    Wait, if that galaxy didn’t form at the exact same point where the big bang happened (we wouldn’t see it then), then it is likely older. Or the universe is older.

  • atx_aquarian@lemmy.world
    61·
    5 months ago

    But JADES-GS-z14-0 has properties that are vastly different from its slightly older younger counterpart

    ftfy… at least, I think that’s what they meant.

    edit: After discussion, I think I see that I might be a candidate for “people incorrectly correcting others”.

    • MrShankles@reddthat.com
      2·
      5 months ago

      Huh… that made my brain do a few twists. The reference point for distance would be our own galaxy (I assume). So you would think that the furthest one would be the “oldest” due to expansion of the universe… so I would think that you’re correct in your correction?

      Unless they meant “older” in the sense of “discovered earlier”? I have no idea anymore, I guess they could argue it either way

      Edit: After re-reading it, I think they’re just referring “Younger” and “Older” to how the galaxies appear to us (due to the time it takes light to travel). As in, the newest discovery is “younger” because that’s the age that we can observe it as, by the time the light has reached us. Idk anymore, I know nothing lol

      • atx_aquarian@lemmy.world
        2·
        5 months ago

        Oh, ok, now I think I’m following. So, like, maybe the one whose light is older (since it’s farther away) could be in a less-developed state, like seeing an older photo of a baby.

        The universe breaks my brain, too. I love it!

        • MrShankles@reddthat.com
          2·
          5 months ago

          Nah, you broke my brain a bit too lol. I had to re-read carefully to try and follow… and I still wasn’t sure by the end