The James Webb Space Telescope is not only finding galaxies forming 200 to 500 million years after the Big Bang, but also that they are bigger and brighter than astronomers expected.
Using light to peer into the past
The brightness of a galaxy can be related to its mass, because a galaxy's light comes from stars. If you assume a certain average brightness and mass of a star, you can roughly estimate the mass of a galaxy.But much of the modeling astronomers have done up to this point has led them to believe that there wasn't enough time for galaxies to get this massive in so little time.However, Moreno says this assumption that brightness equates to mass may not always be accurate.
The high level of structure and brightness in these galaxies is leading some astrophysicists to question the age of the universe.In an attempt to explain the shockingly bright, highly structured — and possibly quite massive — galaxies existing so early in the timeline of the universe, a researcher has posited that the universe is roughly twice as old as previously believed. They push the age of the universe from a spry 13.8 billion years old to roughly 26.7 billion years old.
Moreno also cautions people against quickly jumping on this supposition that the universe is twice as old as previously thought. If it were true, scientists would be able to prove it through the direct observation of stars and galaxies that are older than 13.8 billion years old—the current accepted age of the universe.NASA receives more data from the James Webb Space Telescope everyday—and with additional data comes possibilities for new solutions.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why the earliest galaxies are sparking drama and controversy among astronomers : Short WaveWe're entering a new era of astrophysics. The James Webb Space Telescope is helping scientists test existing ideas and models of how the universe was created—on a whole new level. This telescope is sending back images of galaxies forming under a billion years after the Big Bang—way earlier than astronomers had previously expected. Not only that, scientists had anticipated that later—but still very early—galaxies would be small, barely formed blobs; instead, the galaxies in these images have spiral arms. So, today's show is all about GALACTIC CONTROVERSY! Computational astrophysicist Jorge Moreno talks with fellow astronomer and Short Wave's Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber about how these new findings are stirring up controversy in the scientific community and the lessons we can learn from galaxies. Questions or controversies? Email us at shortwavenpr.org.
Read more »
Why Putin infiltrates spies and disruptors to America and why authorities struggle to catch themRussia continues to send spies to try and infiltrate US society. Analysts note that while Washington cut back on resources following the fall of the Soviet Union, Moscow never did.
Read more »
Brilliant galaxies of early universeScientists have used data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) as part of the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) Survey to change the way we think about the universe and its distant galaxies. Astronomers authored a paper confirming very bright galaxies in the early universe, while also disproving the identification of what would have been the most distant galaxy ever found.
Read more »
Active black holes alter their galaxies' chemical distributionActive supermassive black holes can considerably influence the presence and distribution of chemical molecules in their host galaxies.
Read more »
Galactic QuestionsFindings spark debate about early galaxies
Read more »
How accurate are our first childhood memories?Can we trust our earliest memories, or are they unreliable?
Read more »