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Astronomers Detect Oxygen in Most Distant Known Galaxy, Redefining Early Universe Evolution

The discovery of oxygen and heavy elements in JADES-GS-z14-0, 13.4 billion light-years away, challenges existing models of galaxy formation and highlights rapid chemical maturity in the early universe.

This is an artist’s impression of JADES-GS-z14-0, which as of today is the most distant confirmed galaxy. Galaxies in the early Universe tend to be clumpy and irregular. Supernova explosions in this galaxy would have spread heavy elements forged inside stars, like oxygen, which has been now detected with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).
This image shows the precise location of the most distant known galaxy, called JADES-GS-z14-0, seen as an extremely tiny dot in the Fornax constellation.
An artist's concept illustrates how the universe might have looked when it was less than 1 billion years old. Star formation voraciously consumed primordial hydrogen, churning out a multitude of stars.
Image

Overview

  • JADES-GS-z14-0, the most distant known galaxy, was observed 13.4 billion light-years away, dating back to 300 million years after the Big Bang.
  • Astronomers detected oxygen and heavy elements, indicating rapid star formation and chemical enrichment in the early universe.
  • The galaxy contains 10 times more heavy elements than expected, suggesting galaxies matured faster than previously believed.
  • The findings challenge current models of galaxy formation and suggest early galaxies formed stars on a larger scale and more efficiently.
  • The observations were made possible by the James Webb Space Telescope and ALMA, demonstrating their complementary roles in studying the universe's earliest epochs.