Astronomers at the University of Arizona have made an incredible discovery about a galaxy that formed when the universe was just 300 million years old—only 2% of its current age.
This galaxy, called JADES-GS-z14-0, is far brighter and more chemically complex than expected for such an early time in cosmic history.
The finding challenges our understanding of how galaxies formed after the Big Bang.
The discovery was made using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
The telescope focused on a tiny patch of sky for about nine days, using its Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). The researchers were lucky that the galaxy was in just the right spot for them to capture this detailed data.
“If we had pointed the telescope just a little differently, we would have missed it,” said Jakob Helton, the lead author of the study and a graduate researcher at the University of Arizona.
One of the most surprising discoveries was the amount of oxygen found in this young galaxy. Oxygen and other heavy elements (which astronomers call “metals”) are created by stars over time. In the early universe, only hydrogen, helium, and tiny amounts of lithium existed.
For JADES-GS-z14-0 to have so much oxygen, it must have started forming stars much earlier than expected. These stars would have gone through their life cycles, exploded as supernovae, and released oxygen into space, allowing new stars to form from this enriched material.
“It’s mind-boggling how much oxygen this galaxy has for its age,” said George Rieke, one of the senior researchers on the project.
This discovery suggests that galaxies may have started forming stars much earlier than scientists previously thought. If JADES-GS-z14-0 exists, there could be many more like it waiting to be found. However, because JWST can only look at small sections of the sky at a time, astronomers would need more observations to find similar galaxies across the universe.
The research was conducted as part of the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), a project focused on studying the most distant galaxies.
The team had already identified JADES-GS-z14-0 in 2024 as the most distant known galaxy. Their new study, published in Nature Astronomy, goes further by analyzing its chemical makeup and structure.
“We’re living in an incredible time for astronomy,” said Kevin Hainline, a co-author of the study. “We are seeing galaxies beyond anything humans have ever observed before. It’s like magic.”
This breakthrough helps scientists piece together the early history of the universe and understand how simple elements evolved into the complex chemistry that eventually led to life. With more discoveries like this, JWST is reshaping our knowledge of the cosmos.
