NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has discovered the most distant galaxy known to date, named JADES-GS-z14-0, which existed around 300 million years after the Big Bang. The galaxy is approximately 13.5 billion light-years away from Earth, making it a significant milestone in the study of the early universe. Measuring 1,600 light-years across, JADES-GS-z14-0 is notable for its brightness and large mass, likely formed from numerous young stars.
The discovery was part of the James Webb Space Telescope Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES) program, utilizing Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). Scientists also observed another distant galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-1, closely inspecting it as the second most distant galaxy recorded.
The finding, published by a team of astronomers including Brant Robertson from UC Santa Cruz, underscores the telescope’s ability to look back in time. Webb's infrared capabilities enable it to detect stretched light from billions of years ago, revealing snapshots of galaxies in the early universe.
JADES-GS-z14-0 offers insight into early galaxy formation, showing rapid and intense creation of large galaxies shortly after the Big Bang. Researchers, including Stefano Carniani from Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa and Daniel Eisenstein from Harvard University, highlighted the exceptional speed with which the universe formed such massive structures.
Further research aims to find additional distant galaxies, enhancing understanding of the universe's infancy. The Webb telescope continues to advance astronomical study, peering deeper into space and time than ever before.