NASA announced today that the James Webb Space Telescope has broken its own observation record by discovering a farther, previously undiscovered galaxy.
The agency explains that this galaxy, which existed about 290 million years ago, after the “Big Bang,” presents peculiarities related to “profound implications” for our understanding of the early years of the universe.
Named JADES-GS-z14-0, the discovery is “not the type of galaxy predicted by theoretical models and computer simulations throughout the universe,” researchers Stefano Cargnani and Kevin Heylin announced in their statement associated with the discovery.
“We are delighted to see the extraordinary diversity of galaxies found in the cosmic world,” they add.
Since its launch in December 2021, the telescope has observed galaxies before investigating more distant galaxies. The new galaxy discovered is one of the most distant galaxies ever discovered, making the telescope break its own record, AFP reported.
The galaxy's location is “exceptionally bright considering its distance,” according to NASA, which estimates it is millions to hundreds of millions of years away from the Sun.
This raises the question: “How did nature manage to create such a bright, massive and large galaxy in less than 300 million years?” the two researchers asked.
The James Webb Telescope is stationed 1.5 million kilometers from Earth and is used by scientists around the world for observation.