Traveling back more than 13.4 billion years, the superlative ALMA telescope system located in the Atacama Desert of Chile has captured images of one of the oldest galaxies in the universe through radio waves.
A study led by Nagoya University and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan has measured the age of an extremely distant galaxy, identified through radio signals using the ALMA Radio Telescope Array — one of the most advanced ground-based telescope systems in the world.
The existence of this galaxy was previously confirmed by the James Webb Space Telescope. While the James Webb, being a spacecraft, has a broader observational capability, ALMA’s “all-seeing eye” excels when specifically examining distant objects in radio light.
Radio image of the primordial universe and the oldest galaxy ever discovered – (Photo: ALMA).
The publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society states that the galaxy named GHZ2/GLASS-z12 is older than any previously observed and dated objects. The moment ALMA captured it was just 367 million years after the Big Bang (13.8 billion years ago).
More specifically, since light takes time to reach Earth’s instruments, a galaxy located 13.4 billion light-years away means the light that forms its image has also taken that long to travel.
In other words, ALMA has succeeded in peering into the past, observing an ancient object in its youth amidst a shaping universe.
“The bright emission lines indicate that this galaxy has rapidly enriched its gas reservoirs with elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. This gives us clues about the formation and evolution of the first generation of stars, as well as their lifespan,” said co-author Jorge Zavala from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.
This remarkable discovery also provides many intriguing data about the ever-mysterious world of humanity – the primordial universe – and will continue to be “specially cared for” by international research teams.
