Record-breaking ‘dead’ galaxy discovered by JWST lived fast and died young in the early universe
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have discovered RUBIES-UDS-QG-z7, the most distant and ancient “dead” massive galaxy ever recorded. This finding indicates that the phenomenon of galaxies “dying” – which refers to their cessation of star formation – may have occurred much earlier in the universe’s history than previously thought.
RUBIES-UDS-QG-z7’s light has travelled for 13 billion years, showing it as it was only 700 million years after the Big Bang. This galaxy is the first of its kind observed during the early stages of the universe’s 13.8 billion-year existence, with implications for understanding galaxy formation and evolution.
Key Points
- RUBIES-UDS-QG-z7 is the earliest massive “dead” galaxy discovered, located about 13 billion light-years away.
- Galaxies like RUBIES-UDS-QG-z7 stopped star formation significantly earlier than expected.
- This discovery challenges existing models of galaxy evolution and formation timelines.
- The galaxy was formed with a rapid rate of star production, before entering a stage of quiescence.
- Data suggests that such galaxies may be extremely rare, potentially accounting for one in every million galaxies.
Why should I read this?
If you’re even slightly captivated by the universe and its mysteries, you’ll want to dive into this article. It unveils how the JWST is reshaping our understanding of galaxy life cycles and could flip the script on what we thought we knew about the early universe. This is not just a cool find; it’s potentially a game-changer in astrophysics!
“`