The James Webb Space Telescope has set a new record by reaching a part of the universe that is only 2% of its current age, capturing images of the oldest galaxies ever known.
Analyzing data from James Webb, an international research team identified four galaxies that existed when the universe was less than 400 million years old, located more than 13.4 billion light-years away from us.
When observing an object at such a distance, the figure of 13.4 billion light-years represents both the age of the object and the time it took for light from that object to reach Earth. Therefore, what James Webb allows us to see is also a “time travel” image from 13.4 billion years ago, when these galaxies were still young. They may have since perished or undergone significant changes in the present.
Close-up of the four oldest objects ever seen by humanity – (Photo: NASA/ESA/CSA).
“It is crucial to demonstrate that the galaxies captured by James Webb truly reside in the early universe. There is a possibility that closer galaxies may disguise themselves as very distant ones. By observing the revealed spectra, we hope to confirm this. Some are farther than what Hubble could see. This is an incredibly exciting achievement for the mission,” said astronomer Emma Curtis-Lake from the University of Hertfordshire (UK), a co-author of the study.
To capture these valuable images, James Webb and the JADES mission team focused on galaxies in the ultra-deep space, once again examining the region within and around the Hubble Ultra Deep Field.
Thanks to sharper images obtained, these distant galaxies have gradually come into view. A total of 250 faint galaxies were filtered for study, leading to the identification of the oldest ones. Four galaxies older than 13.4 billion years have been confirmed.
The primordial universe explored by Hubble and James Webb together – (Photo: NASA/ESA/CSA)
According to co-author Brant Robertson from the University of California, Santa Cruz (USA), the oldest galaxy in the cluster may have formed just 330 million years after the Big Bang that created the universe.
“It is difficult to understand galaxies without understanding their early developmental stages. Just like humans, a lot that happens later depends on these first generations. Many questions about galaxies are awaiting James Webb,” explained co-author Sandro Tacchella from the University of Cambridge (UK).
James Webb is the most advanced space telescope in the world, successfully launched this year, primarily built and operated by NASA, in collaboration with European and Canadian space agencies, ESA and CSA.
Before James Webb, the title of “king” of telescopes belonged to Hubble for over three decades, also primarily operated by NASA with ESA collaboration.
