Astronomers believe they've spotted the very early stages of galaxy formation, potentially witnessing the birth of some of the earliest galaxies in existence. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) captured faint signals from these galaxies, estimated to have formed only 400 to 600 million years after the Big Bang, when the universe was just a fraction of its current age.
Key Findings
The galaxies appear as fuzzy red smudges in JWST's infrared images.
The observations suggest the galaxies are still gathering raw materials, primarily hydrogen gas, to fuel star formation.
This discovery provides a window into the poorly understood era of reionization, when the first stars and galaxies began illuminating the infant universe.
Significance
This is the first time astronomers may have directly observed galaxies in the process of formation. Previous observations focused on more mature galaxies. Studying these early galaxies can shed light on how galaxies evolve and how the universe transitioned from a dark, hot soup to the structure-filled cosmos we see today.