Astronomers have shattered the record for the oldest, most distant galaxy detected by humans, using the James Webb Space Telescope. MoM z14, a primitive galaxy, is estimated to be 280 million years old, making it the oldest galaxy ever discovered. This breaks the previous record set by JADES-GS-Z14-0, which was created 290 million years after the Big Bang.
The discovery is significant because it suggests that galaxies were forming earlier than previously thought. The James Webb Space Telescope’s infrared sensors allowed researchers to detect nitrogen and carbon in MoM z14, indicating that stars in this galaxy would not have been made up of hydrogen and helium, as expected.
To put this into perspective, the universe is approximately 13.8 billion years old, while Earth is about 4.543 billion years old. The James Webb Space Telescope’s capabilities were unexpected, with no one anticipating it could observe objects so close to the Big Bang just three years after launch.
Source: https://www.wired.com/story/astronomers-just-broke-the-record-for-the-oldest-galaxy-ever-detected-james-webb-space-telescope