{"id":63927,"date":"2024-09-26T08:42:35","date_gmt":"2024-09-26T08:42:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/53077cf6-da49-4278-8d9c-f367a5a3d44d"},"modified":"2024-09-26T09:39:44","modified_gmt":"2024-09-26T09:39:44","slug":"thats-weird-webb-spots-galaxy-where-gas-outshines-stars-could-be-a-key-stage-in-the-evolution-of-the-universe","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/thats-weird-webb-spots-galaxy-where-gas-outshines-stars-could-be-a-key-stage-in-the-evolution-of-the-universe\/","title":{"rendered":"“That’s weird”. Webb spots galaxy where gas outshines stars – could be a key stage in the evolution of the Universe"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Iain Todd\n <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 26 September 2024 at 08:42 AM<\/p>

\n\n

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has uncovered a galaxy that existed just 1 billion years after the Big Bang<\/a>, that’s breaking all the rules.<\/p>

This celestial oddball is lighting up the early Universe in ways never seen before, and could represent a key stage in galactic evolution between the very first galaxies<\/a> and those we see today.<\/p>

See the latest James Webb Space Telescope images<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Close-up of the Webb image of galaxy 9422, in which gas outshines stars and which could represent a key stage in the evolution of galaxies. Click to expand. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Alex Cameron (Oxford)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
**Gassy glamour of GS-NDG-9422<\/strong><\/h2>**GS-NDG-9422, or ‘9422’ for short, is a galaxy not content with letting its stars<\/a> steal the spotlight.<\/p>
The gas in galaxy 9422 is outshining its stellar population, giving astronomers behind a new piece of the puzzle when it comes to understanding early galactic evolution.<\/p>
Dr. Alex Cameron of the University of Oxford, who led a study into 9422 using the Webb Telescope, says he couldn’t believe his eyes when he first saw the galaxy’s spectrum.<\/p>
“My first thought was, ‘that’s weird,'” he says.<\/p>
“Which is exactly what the Webb telescope was designed to reveal: totally new phenomena in the early Universe that will help us understand how the cosmic story began.”<\/p>
$\"James$
James Webb Space Telescope image of galaxy 9422, in which gas outshines stars and which could represent a key stage in the evolution of galaxies. Click to expand. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Alex Cameron (Oxford)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Stellar superstars<\/strong><\/h2>
What’s causing the galactic light show in galaxy 9422?<\/p>
The culprit appears to be a population of stars hotter than anything we see in our cosmic neighbourhood.<\/p>
While the hottest stars in our local Universe typically reach temperatures between 70,000 to 90,000\u00b0F (40,000 to 50,000\u00b0C), galaxy 9422 has stars hotter than 140,000\u00b0F (80,000\u00b0C).<\/p>
And these cosmic furnaces are pumping out so much energy, they’re causing the surrounding gas to glow brighter than the stars themselves.<\/p>
$\"The$
The discovery could help astronomers finesse our picture of how the Universe has evolved since the Big Bang.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
A missing link in galactic evolution<\/strong><\/h2>
The study of galaxy 9422 could represent a crucial piece in the puzzle of how the early Universe evolved.<\/p>
Cameron reached out to Dr. Harley Katz of the University of Oxford and University of Chicago, to help decipher exactly what’s going on.<\/p>
They found that computer models of cosmic gas clouds heated by hot, massive stars, so much that their gas outshone the stars themselves, nearly perfectly matched Webb\u2019s observations.\u00a0<\/p>
“It looks like these stars must be much hotter and more massive than what we see in the local Universe, which makes sense because the early universe was a very different environment,” says Katz.<\/p>
Gas outshining stars is something predicted in the environments of the Universe\u2019s first generation of stars, known as\u00a0Population III stars.\u00a0<\/p>
“We know this galaxy does not have Population III stars, because Webb data shows too much chemical complexity,” says Katz.<\/p>
“However, its stars are different than what we are familiar with \u2013 the exotic stars in this galaxy could be a guide for understanding how galaxies transitioned from primordial stars to the types of galaxies we already know.”<\/p>
$\"James$
James Webb Space Telescope is challenging what we know about the Universe. Credit: 24K-Production \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
What’s next?<\/strong><\/h2>
This discovery seems to have raised more questions than answers, which is often the sign of a key breakthrough. <\/p>
Is galaxy 9422 a cosmic oddball, or are there more galaxies like it waiting to be found? What can it tell us about even earlier stages of galactic evolution?<\/p>
One thing’s for sure: the study is just getting started.<\/p>
As Cameron puts it: “It\u2019s a very exciting time, to be able to use the Webb telescope to explore this time in the universe that was once inaccessible.”<\/p>
“We are just at the beginning of new discoveries and understanding.”<\/p>
***Read the full paper, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, at academic.oup.com\/mnras\/article\/534\/1\/523\/7697173<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n***
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