Patterns seen in MoM-z14 are also common among the most ancient stars in the Milky Way, according to the researchers.
Earlier this week, astronomers announced that they were able to observe the earliest galaxy ever seen – MoM-z14, which was discovered as part of the Mirage or Miracle study. Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scientists were able to confirm that the light they captured was emitted just 280m years after the Big Bang. For context, the Big Bang is thought to have occurred 13.8bn years ago.
The JWST is Earth’s most advanced infrared space telescope capable of capturing images of some of the most distant galaxies. These galaxies experience severe redshifts – a phenomenon where the wavelength of light is stretched because of distance, shifting it towards the red part of the colour spectrum.
Patterns seen in MoM-z14 are also common among the most ancient stars born in the Milky Way, reads the paper revealing this discovery. According to the researchers, this suggests that they were witnessing the formation of similar stars in dense clusters.
A three-filter NIRCam view of galaxy MoM-z14. Image: Naidu et al
The image might look like a collection of coloured pixels to the untrained eye, however, using various methods, scientists were able to determine that the galaxy is an extremely compact star-forming galaxy and could rank among the most nitrogen-enhanced sources discovered with the JWST yet.
Since its launch in late 2021, the JWST has provided humanity with information from the deepest depths of the universe. The telescope has been able to access realms too distant, cold or faint for the Hubble Space Telescope, which has been roaming the cosmos for 35 years.
Late last year, the JWST captured images of a galaxy cluster called MACS J1423, nicknamed Firefly Sparkle, as it appeared 600m years after the Big Bang. The cluster is similar in mass to Milky Way, and could shine a light on how our galaxy might have looked at that age.
While earlier this month, new research using the JWST claims to have found emissions from bacteria or other tiny organisms from an exoplanet called K2-18b, 124 light years away.
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