The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning image of an ancient galaxy, Leo P, that is roaring back to life. Located 5.3 million light-years away in the constellation Leo, this tiny dwarf galaxy is providing unprecedented insights into star formation.
Leo P is an irregular dwarf galaxy that was once thought to have switched off its star-forming factories when the universe was around a billion years old, during the Epoch of Reionization. However, new data from the JWST has revealed that it unexpectedly formed new stars in recent times. This discovery challenges current understanding of how galaxies evolve over time.
Using the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam), researchers found that Leo P formed stars early on in the universe but stopped doing so shortly after the Epoch of Reionization. However, the galaxy reignited after a few billion years and started forming new stars again. This is the first discovery of its kind, with similar measurements gathered for only three other isolated galaxies, which never resumed star production.
The JWST will now study four more isolated dwarf galaxies to shed more light on how star formation has changed over time. The findings offer a unique opportunity to learn about early cosmic history and provide new insights into the evolution of galaxies like our own Milky Way.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/space-photo-of-the-week-james-webb-telescope-shocks-scientists-with-image-of-ancient-galaxy-roaring-back-to-life