Astronomers are re-examining key assumptions about the early universe after discovering a galaxy that appears just 330 million years after the Big Bang, yet emits intense ultraviolet radiation that should have been absorbed by the surrounding intergalactic medium.
The galaxy, JADES-GS-z13-1, was detected using the James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera. At a redshift of z=13.05, it is one of the most distant galaxies ever observed and unexpectedly bright in the Lyman-α ultraviolet line.
According to the standard model of cosmology, the universe became transparent about 380,000 years after the Big Bang, when atoms first formed during a phase called recombination. This led to the release of the cosmic microwave background radiation.
However, JADES-GS-z13-1 appears right at the beginning of the “dark ages,” where the universe was filled with neutral gas, lacking any light sources. Its intense radiation suggests that gravity began forming stars and galaxies earlier than expected, potentially challenging our understanding of structure formation in the universe.
The detection has sparked debate among scientists, with some speculating that it may hint at new physics or alternatives to the ΛCDM model, which underpins our understanding of the universe. Future follow-up observations are planned to confirm the source of the strong Lyman-α radiation and determine whether Population III stars or primordial black holes are responsible.
The discovery is set to open a new frontier in cosmology, uncovering deep mysteries about the early universe and potentially reshaping our cosmic origin story.
Source: https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/03/a-new-cosmology-mystery-james-webb-telescope-observes-a-galaxy-it-shouldnt