Astronomers have made a surprising discovery in the early universe, finding oxygen in a galaxy that is only 300 million years old. This revelation challenges current understanding of how galaxies formed and evolved. The galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-0, was detected using powerful telescopes and shows signs of rapid growth and maturation.
According to scientists, the presence of oxygen in this young galaxy is unexpected, as it suggests that elements heavier than hydrogen and helium were formed much earlier than previously thought. This finding is consistent with other evidence that galaxies have matured more quickly than expected.
“This discovery is like finding a teenager where we would expect only babies,” says cosmologist Sander Schouws. “The results show the galaxy has formed very rapidly and is also maturing rapidly, adding to growing evidence that galaxy formation happens much faster than thought.”
The discovery was made using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile, which detected 10 times more elements heavier than hydrogen and helium in JADES-GS-z14-0 than predicted. This suggests a production rate beyond expectations.
The presence of oxygen in this galaxy raises questions about how galaxies formed and evolved in the early universe. As space expands, light from distant galaxies becomes stretched into red wavelengths due to the Doppler effect, making it easier for astronomers like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to detect these objects.
This latest discovery is part of a growing body of evidence that challenges our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution in the early universe. As researchers continue to study this phenomenon, they will need to reexamine their assumptions about the cosmological timeline and how rapid growth changes it.
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/astronomers-stunned-by-abundant-oxygen-in-earliest-known-galaxy