The birth of the universe's earliest galaxies revealed: groundbreaking discovery by the James Webb Space Telescope

The discovery of the universe's earliest galaxies

With the James Webb Space Telescope, Danish scientists have witnessed for the first time in the history of astronomy the birth of three of the earliest galaxies in the universe, an event that took place between 13.4 and 13.3 billion years ago. The discovery not only provides scientists with new knowledge about the history of the universe, but also offers important clues to understanding the origin and evolution of the universe.

Environment of the early universe

Shortly after the Big Bang, the universe became a huge, opaque cloud of hydrogen gas. Unlike today's night sky, which is filled with stars, the early universe was chaotic. The team captured this hydrogen gas using infrared vision from the Webb Space Telescope, the most distant observation of cold neutral hydrogen ever made by astronomers. The distribution and state of hydrogen, an integral part of stars and galaxies, is critical to understanding the formation of galaxies.

Direct observations of galaxy formation

Using the Webb Space Telescope, the team observed signatures of large amounts of hydrogen gas that accumulate and accrete during the construction of “mini” galaxies. Although theory and computer simulations have shown that galaxies form in this way, astronomers have never actually witnessed these processes before. This discovery marks the first time that astronomers have directly “seen” the formation of galaxies, and is of great significance for validating and refining theories of galaxy formation.

Implications and future prospects

This study reveals the moments when some of the earliest structures in the Universe were created, helping to enhance scientists' understanding of the history of the Universe and providing new perspectives on answering the most fundamental question of humanity: “Where did we come from? The team has applied for more time with the Webb Space Telescope and hopes to continue their research to gain more information about the formation of the earliest galaxies and further unravel the mysteries of the Universe.