Astronomers discovered oxygen in the farthest galaxy ever discovered, forcing scientists to reconsider the pace at which the earliest star systems developed after the Big Bang. Unexpected discoveries, the unexpected discovery in such a distant light took 13.4 billion years to reach the Earth, suggesting that when the universe was just a child, complex chemical processes were already underway.
Two independent research teams using Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) in the Chilean high desert were also such a surprising discovery in a galaxy called Jades-GS-Z14-0. The presence of oxygen (generated within the oxygen (star) and released at death) suggests that this ancient galaxy matures much faster than the current model predicts.
“It’s like finding a teenager, you’re just expecting babies,” explained Sander Schouws, a doctoral candidate at the Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands, the lead author of one of the studies. “The results show that the Milky Way is forming very rapidly and is maturing rapidly, adding to increasing evidence that galaxies are forming much faster than expected.”
As the astronomers gazed at the deepest space, they effectively turned back. The light of Jades-GS-Z14-0 begins the universe’s history for less than 300 million years, which accounts for only 2% of its current age. According to conventional understanding, galaxies at this stage should contain mainly the simplest elements, such as hydrogen and helium, which formed shortly after the Big Bang.
Chemical maturity violates expectations
Heavier elements like oxygen are forged through nuclei fusion within stars, usually scattered throughout the galaxy when these stars expire. Discovering a large amount of oxygen in such primitive galaxies challenges astronomers’ timelines, namely the speed of life, death, and enrichment of surroundings.
These findings suggest that the heavy elements contained in Jades-GS-Z14-0 are heavy elements of their age prediction theoretical model, which suggests that the acceleration of evolution is significant.
“I was surprised by the unexpected results because they opened up new ideas about the first phase of galaxy evolution,” said Scuola Normale Super ISTEFANO CARNIANI, who led the second research team in Pisa, Italy. “Evidence that galaxies have matured in the infant universe raises questions about when and how galaxies are formed.”
This discovery was made possible through the collaborative power of two state-of-the-art tools in astronomy. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) initially identified the Milky Way last year, but it was Alma’s expertise that confirmed the existence of oxygen and provided extraordinary precision in determining its cosmic distance.
Ignore the accuracy of imagination
The measurements performed with ALMA are very accurate – the distance of the Milky Way is pointed out with the uncertainty of only 0.005%.
“This level of accuracy – precisely within 5 cm at a distance of 1 km – facilitates our understanding of the properties of distant galaxies,” explains Eleonora Parlanti, a doctoral student at Pisa Scuola Normale Superiore.
Technical achievements highlight the complementarity of today’s most advanced astronomical tools. As Rychard Bouwens, associate professor at Leiden Observatory, points out: “Although Galaxy was originally discovered with the James Webb space telescope, Alma requires Alma to confirm and accurately determine its huge distances. This shows the amazing synergy between Alma and JWST to reveal the formation and evolution of the first Galaxies.”
Rewrite the history of the universe
For astronomers who are not involved in the research, these findings are prompting a significant reassessment of the theory of galaxy formation. GergöPopping, an astronomer at the Alma Regional Center of Southern European Observatory, expressed surprise at the clear discovery of oxygen.
“I was very surprised by the clear discovery of oxygen in Jades-GS-Z14-0,” Popping said. “This suggests that after the Big Bang, galaxies formed faster than previously thought. The results show the important role Alma played in revealing the conditions for the formation of the first galaxy in the universe.”
Both research teams submitted their findings to the prestigious astronomy journal, and Carniani’s team’s papers were accepted by astronomy and astrophysics and Schouws teams, and were accepted by the astrophysics journals.
This discovery adds to increasing evidence that the earliest cosmic structures developed faster than current theories suggest. In astronomy, direct observation of celestial bodies often occurs on time scales far beyond human life span, so these glimpses of the ancient past of the universe provide crucial limitations for theoretical models.
The detection marks the most distant oxygen observation in the universe to date. As more powerful instruments go online, existing facilities such as Alma and JWST continue to investigate, as astronomers expect traditional wisdom about the stars and galaxies assembled from the original elements left by the first generation of stars and galaxies from the Big Bang will be further challenged.
For now, this cosmic teenager appears in the baby universe to remind us that our understanding of the earliest chapters of the universe is still incomplete, and even in the most distant and oldest corners, the universe is still surprising.
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