(MENAFN- Khaama Press) Astronomers have discovered a unique and unprecedented galaxy from the early universe that could help improve our understanding of cosmic beginnings.
The galaxy, named GS-NDJ-9422, formed roughly one billion years after the Big Bang. Its gas shines unusually brighter than its stars.
Scientists were attracted to this galaxy's distinctive light spectrum, which revealed that the gas in the galaxy is brighter than the stars, a rare phenomenon.
Alex Cameron, the lead researcher from Oxford University, remarked on this galaxy's unusual properties, saying,“My first reaction after seeing the spectrum was that this is strange, and this is exactly what the James Webb Space Telescope was designed for.”
This discovery was made using data from the James Webb Space Telescope, a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency, built to explore the early universe.
Researchers believe that this galaxy may represent a missing link in the evolution of galaxies, somewhere between the early stars of the universe and the more complex galaxies we know today.
The phenomenon was first explained using computer models that simulated gas heated by massive stars, shedding light on this rare occurrence.
Harley Katz, a researcher from Oxford and Chicago universities, noted that the stars in this galaxy are much hotter and larger than those seen in the present-day universe, explaining,“This makes sense because the early universe was a very different environment.”
While today's hot, massive stars have temperatures between 40,000 and 50,000 degrees Celsius, the stars in the 9422 galaxy have temperatures exceeding 80,000 degrees Celsius.
Although GS-NDJ-9422 does not contain third-generation stars, it has a complex chemical composition, and its stars are still very different from those known to us.
This discovery is just one example of this phase of galaxy evolution, and scientists still have many questions about it.
Cameron, Katz, and their research team are studying more galaxies to gather further insights into the first billion years after the Big Bang.
The discovery of GS-NDJ-9422 offers valuable insights into early galaxy formation, but much remains unknown. Ongoing research will help unravel the mysteries of the universe's early stages, particularly regarding the evolution of stars and galaxies in that period.
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