New Discoveries in the Early Universe with the JWST

Tamima Rashid

473 days into the James Webb Space Telescope’s deployment, many scientists have been left with more questions than answers. The telescope can see light coming from thirteen and a half billion years ago, veering close to the beginning of our universe, 13.8 billion years ago. The longer it is in space, the more this instrument’s discoveries will shape and test our knowledge.

(Irregularly bright galaxies taken with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, Feb 2023)

A simplified version of how astronomers believe galaxies were first created is outlined as such: large masses of gas and dust collapsing to form stars with their own gravitational pulls, or “lumps” of matter that clumped together and collected in what is now recognized as a galaxy. Astronomers believe, according to these theories, that early galaxies were spirals, developing into elliptical galaxies over time.

The telescope’s discoveries continue to challenge our knowledge. In February, only 500 to 800 million years after the Big Bang, the telescope spied six galaxies as well-formed and mature as the Milky Way today. With their gargantuan size, even team members were afraid they had made a mistake. Although it was agreed that galaxies existed at this time, the rate of development is shocking. At the time of this image, the universe was at about 3% of its current age. Ivo Labbe, an astrophysicist at the Swinburne University of Technology raved, "Oh, they are radically different - truly bizarre creatures. If the Milky Way were a regular-sized average adult, say about 1.75 meters and 70 kg, these would be 1-year-old babies weighing about the same, but standing just under 7 cm tall. The early universe is a freak show."

(a closer look at the galaxies taken by the James Webb Space Telescope in Feb 2023)

These new galaxies seem to have reawakened much of what we knew and understood about the universe. Joel Leja, an astrophysicist at Penn State, said, "We looked into the very early universe for the first time and had no idea what we were going to find. It turns out we found something so unexpected it actually creates problems for science. It calls the whole picture of early galaxy formation into question."

(a demonstration of lightwaves coming from a star, Saperaud 2023)

The immediate inquiry many people have is how scientists will further investigate these galaxies. One tactic is to peer at the individual wavelengths to determine the chemical composition of the galaxies. This could answer the question of how they came to be their impressive size.

The conclusions from these newfound galaxies are still up in the air. This discovery had been met with many theories, new approaches, and hesitancy. With so much new information arriving from this telescope’s observations, it is bound to reshape how we view our universe. "This is an astounding discovery and unexpected. We thought that galaxies form over much longer periods of time. No one expected to find these. These galaxy candidates are simply too evolved for our expectations. They seem to have evolved faster than allowed by our standard models,” said Leja.

While determinations are still forming, one thing is becoming clear. Much of what seemed to be certain may be shifting as we learn more about space and time using the James Webb Space Telescope. With new technologies and the efforts of scientists from many regions, the answers may come in our lifetime. Much of what we thought we understood may be up in the air, but rest assured that answers are being developed.

Works Cited

Dunham, Will. "Galaxies spotted by Webb telescope rewrite understanding of the early universe." Reuters, 22 Feb. 2023, www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/galaxies-spotted-by-Webb-telescope-rewrite-understanding-early-universe-2023-02-22/. Accessed 13 Apr. 2023.

PBS News Hour. 22 Feb. 2023, www.pbs.org/newshour/science/webb-telescope-spots-what-astronomers-believe-are-surprisingly-large-galaxies-dating-back-to-early-universe. Accessed 13 Apr. 2023.

Space.com. 22 Feb. 2023, www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-giant-distant-galaxies-surprise. Accessed 13 Apr. 2023.

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