The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large,
infrared-optimized space observatory that was launched to space back in
December 2021.
Its primary mission is to study the early universe,
including the first stars and galaxies that formed after the Big Bang.
Recently, the JWST has reportedly discovered six
massive galaxies that are so old they shouldn't exist. According to NASA, these
galaxies are some of the oldest and most distant ever observed, dating back to
when the universe was only about 500 million years old.
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Ground-breaking: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope
has just spotted six massive galaxies in the early universe (pictured) that are
so old they shouldn't actually exist. One of the sources (bottom left) could
contain as many stars as our present-day Milky Way
What makes these galaxies so surprising is that they
are much larger and more mature than scientists would expect to find at such an
early stage in the universe's evolution. In fact, the galaxies are so massive
that their existence challenges current theories of how galaxies form and
evolve.
The discovery of these galaxies is an exciting
development for astronomers, as it will help them better understand the early
universe and the processes that drove the formation of the first galaxies. It
is hoped that the JWST will continue to uncover new and surprising discoveries
about our universe for years to come.
Reference: Research Article