Astronomical observations conducted utilizing both the Hubble Space Telescope as well as terrestrial-based equipment have revealed that the formation of the first galaxies occurred within one billion years after the Big Bang event. This event is believed to have occurred in a time frame of approximately 13 billion to 14 billion years ago. This suggests that shortly after the inception of the Universe, the first galaxies began to take shape, displaying that the cosmos has constantly been evolving and giving way to the variety of structures we see today.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has proven to be very useful since its launch back in December 2021. It is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope and is considered to be one of the most powerful telescopes ever built. It is an infrared observatory that is designed to study the early Universe, the formation of stars and galaxies, and the possibility of life on other planets.
James Webb has done it again, granting new insight into the formation of galaxies during the Early Universe.
87 newfound galaxies, thanks to Webb
A team of researchers, under the guidance of Haojing Yan at the University of Missouri, made a groundbreaking discovery using data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Early Release Observations. The study identified 87 galaxies that are potentially the earliest known galaxies in the existence of the Universe, bringing the team closer to understanding when galaxies first emerged, according to Phys.org.
Yan declared that astronomers now believe that galaxies were first born about 200 to 400 million years after the Big Bang. He also stated as Phys.org quotes:
Finding such a large number of galaxies in the early parts of the universe suggests that we might need to revise our previous understanding of galaxy formation,
Our finding gives us the first indication that a lot of galaxies could have been formed in the universe much earlier than previously thought.
James Webb’s infrared capabilities were crucial for the discovery of the new batch of galaxies.
