‘Cosmic miracle!’ James Webb Space Telescope discovers the earliest galaxy ever seen

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The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has once again demonstrated its exceptional abilities, this time by detecting a galaxy that existed just 280 million years after the Big Bang. This remarkable discovery, named “MoM z14,” is now recognized as the earliest and most distant galaxy ever observed.

According to Pieter van Dokkum, a team member and professor of Astronomy and Physics at Yale University, MoM z14’s existence at such an early stage of the universe offers valuable insights. The JWST’s proficiency in identifying galaxies at high redshifts, where light wavelengths are stretched due to cosmic expansion, has been crucial in uncovering these distant celestial objects.

Before MoM z14, the title of the earliest and most distant galaxy belonged to JADES-GS-z14-0, which existed 300 million years after the Big Bang. The recent discovery of MoM z14 with a redshift of z=14.44 has now surpassed this previous record.

The researchers have also gleaned valuable insights into MoM z14, determining it to be significantly smaller than the Milky Way and showing signs of rapid star formation. The presence of elements like nitrogen and carbon in this early galaxy suggests the possibility of even earlier galaxies with simpler elemental compositions waiting to be discovered.

Despite these groundbreaking findings, the team remains optimistic about the JWST’s potential to uncover even more ancient galaxies in the cosmos. Van Dokkum expressed confidence in the telescope’s capabilities, hinting at the potential discovery of galaxies at even higher redshifts in the future.

As the team celebrates their latest breakthrough, the discovery of MoM z14 marks a significant advancement in our understanding of the early universe, setting the stage for further revelations about the cosmos.