In Odd Galaxy, NASA's Webb Finds Potential Missing Link to First Stars
Summary
With its gas shining brighter than its stars, a strange galaxy found one billion years after the big bang may represent a previously-unknown phase of galactic evolution.
Amid a crowded field of galaxies captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, one otherwise inconspicuous galaxy stands out for emitting a light signature that astronomers have never seen before. Together, an observational astronomer and a theorist investigated potential causes. They concluded that the strange spectrum of galaxy GS-NDG-9422 is likely coming from its super-heated gas, not its stars. This intriguing conclusion opens up several future paths for investigation, including the connection between this odd galaxy and the universe’s first generation of stars – also predicted to be outshone by nebular gas.
Visit NASA Science to view the full news release including article text and associated Webb imagery, graphics, scientific visualizations, videos, captions, text descriptions, and other information.
News releases highlighting the discoveries of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope are produced for NASA by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, under NASA Contract NAS5-03127. News release content is developed by the News Team in STScI’s Office of Public Outreach.
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