Webb Telescope Reveals Galaxies' Impact on Early Universe Transformation
The James Webb Space Telescope captured a view between the Pisces and Andromeda constellations, revealing over 20,000 galaxies. Researchers focused their observations on a luminous quasar, J0100+2802, and analyzed 117 galaxies that existed about 900 million years after the big bang. The team found that these galaxies were ionizing the gas around them, transforming it into transparent gas. Webb's detailed image and spectroscopic data allowed the researchers to measure the size of the transparent regions, which were approximately 2 million light-years in radius. Over time, these regions grew and merged, leading to the entire universe becoming transparent. The findings, announced by the EIGER team, provide significant insights into the Era of Reionization. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, Simon Lilly (ETH Zurich), Daichi Kashino (Nagoya University), Jorryt Matthee (ETH Zurich), Christina Eilers (MIT), Rob Simcoe (MIT), Rongmon Bordoloi (NCSU), Ruari Mackenzie (ETH Zurich), Image Processing - Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Ruari Mackenzie (ETH Zurich).
June 12, 2023
In a groundbreaking discovery, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has provided compelling evidence that galaxies formed just 900 million years after the big bang played a significant role in transforming the early universe. A research team led by Simon Lilly of ETH Zürich in Switzerland utilized JWST's observations to uncover how these galaxies ionized the surrounding gas, causing it to become transparent. This discovery sheds light on the mysterious Era of Reionization and offers a deeper understanding of the evolution of our universe.
Key Points:
JWST's new observations have unveiled thousands of vibrant galaxies against the vast backdrop of space, featuring a distinctive pink object with six diffraction spikes at the center.
The research team led by Simon Lilly discovered that galaxies, existing 900 million years after the big bang, ionized the surrounding gas, leading to its transparency.
JWST's precise measurements revealed that these tiny galaxies created ionized gas "bubbles" with a radius of 2 million light-years. Over time, these bubbles merged and caused the entire universe to become transparent.
The results highlight the significant impact of galaxies during the Era of Reionization, a transformative period in the universe's history.
Webb's data demonstrates that galaxies were instrumental in clearing massive regions of space, transforming the opaque gas into a transparent state over millions of years.
By targeting a specific time just before the end of the Era of Reionization, the research team aimed JWST at a quasar, allowing them to study the gas between the quasar and telescopes on Earth.
Webb's data, combined with observations from various telescopes, provided extensive information about the composition and state of the gas.
The team's analysis revealed that galaxies are surrounded by transparent regions approximately 2 million light-years in radius.
The galaxies observed by JWST during the Era of Reionization appeared more chaotic and actively formed stars, indicating a vibrant and eventful early existence.
Furthermore, the study confirmed the presence of the most massive black hole known in the early universe, located at the center of the observed quasar.
Implications and Future Research:
This groundbreaking research paves the way for further exploration and understanding of the Era of Reionization. The upcoming research by Lilly's team, Emission-line galaxies and Intergalactic Gas in the Epoch of Reionization (EIGER), will delve into additional fields anchored by central quasars. The team will utilize JWST's capabilities to continue unraveling the mysteries of the early universe, building upon the success of their initial findings.
Thanks to the remarkable capabilities of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, scientists led by Simon Lilly of ETH Zürich have made significant strides in understanding the transformative impact of galaxies on the early universe. By unveiling the process of gas ionization and transparency, this research provides valuable insights into the Era of Reionization and highlights the crucial role of galaxies in shaping the universe we observe today. The groundbreaking results obtained by JWST open up new avenues for future astronomical discoveries and deepen our understanding of the cosmos.
During the Era of Reionization over 13 billion years ago, the gas between galaxies was opaque, hindering the observation of young galaxies. As stars and galaxies formed and evolved, they gradually transformed the gas, changing it from neutral and opaque to ionized and transparent. Researchers utilizing the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered that galaxies played a significant role in the universe's complete ionization. Their findings shed light on this transformative period. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Joyce Kang (STScI)
The James Webb Space Telescope has provided detailed images and spectra of galaxies that existed when the universe was just 900 million years old. These images reveal the chaotic and clumpy nature of these early galaxies, which are actively forming stars. The telescope's near-infrared image captures the adventurous youth of these galaxies, showing structures within each individual galaxy. The results were announced by the Emission-line galaxies and Intergalactic Gas in the Epoch of Reionization (EIGER) team, utilizing Webb's NIRCam. The research helps to define 117 galaxies in this field and was made possible through collaborative efforts. Credits: Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, Simon Lilly (ETH Zurich), Daichi Kashino (Nagoya University), Jorryt Matthee (ETH Zurich), Christina Eilers (MIT), Rongmon Bordoloi (NCSU), Ruari Mackenzie (ETH Zurich), Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Ruari Mackenzie (ETH Zurich)
Source - NASA