ANTARIKSA — December 25 is the second anniversary of the launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Since its launch in 2022, the most powerful telescope ever built has amazed astronomers with its stunning images, and dispelled many assumptions about the beginning of the universe.
From inexplicably bright galaxies to life on alien planets, to potentially even changing the laws and standard models of the universe, here are the Webb Telescope’s biggest discoveries of 2023.
Discovering Six Galaxies That Shouldn’t Have Existed in the Early Universe
Image of six galaxies ranging in age from 500 million to 800 million years after the Big Bang. Images: NASA, ESA, CSA, LABBE
Not long after operating, James Webb immediately discovered six secret galaxies in the universe that were 500 million years after the Big Bang. The galaxy contains almost the same number of stars as the Milky Way.
The discovery caused a stir in the world of astronomy. Some scientists argue the findings cast doubt on theories of galactic evolution, or even their understanding of the universe.
The strange discovery points to the deepening mystery of how large galaxies first developed in our universe. After running simulations, other astronomers think that some of these galaxies are probably bright, and do not contain as many stars as Webb saw. Whatever the answer, further observations of the mysterious galaxy must be made.
Also Read: James Webb Telescope Reveals Photo of the Glowing Uranus Rings
Casting doubt on the Standard Model of Cosmology
This image of the galaxy MACS0647-JD taken by the James Webb Space Telescope is visible just 400 million years after the Big Bang. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, & STScI.
Apart from giving rise to the potential for a new crisis in astronomy, this telescope also strengthens an old crisis, namely the Hubble tension. Simply put, the universe is expanding, but depending on the view of cosmologists, the speed varies.
In the past, the two best experiments for measuring the expansion rate of the universe were the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Planck satellite and the Hubble Space Telescope. Planck calculated the expansion rate of the universe to be 67 kilometers per second per megaparsec. Meanwhile Hubble found a higher figure, namely 73 km/s/Mpc.
Cosmologists think the tension may be due to uncertainties caused by Hubble not being able to distinguish between Cepheids (the light of pulsating objects) and background stars. However, James Webb extinguished this suspicion with a result of 74 km/s/Mpc.
Since the latest discovery, cosmology has been plunged into a crisis that could reveal new physics or even break the standard model. What can solve it? Of course, the Webb telescope has more measurements to make.
2023-12-24 09:22:00
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