Jakarta –
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) managed to capture images of the Maisie galaxy for the first time in the summer of 2022. The results of astronomers’ analysis show that this galaxy is one of the oldest galaxies ever.
The team of observers has confirmed that the age of the Maisie galaxy is about 13.8 billion years and has been formed for 390 million years after the Big Bang.
This discovery indicates the existence of the first four galaxies that have been caught by the James Webb telescope so far.
The Oldest Galaxy in the Universe
Steven Finkelstein, an astronomer at the University of Texas who is the principal investigator for the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science Survey (CEERS), reveals that Maisie is the oldest galaxy ever captured by the James Webb Telescope.
“This galaxy is one of the earliest or oldest appearing galaxies in the universe, which we might never have been able to see without the James Webb Space Telescope,” he said. Space.
“This is an undiscovered frontier where we really didn’t know how galaxies formed or what they looked like until we went and looked it up with JWST. And when the first data came in last summer, Maisie’s galaxy was one of the first galaxies to date. early as identified,” he added.
The Story Behind the Name of the Maisie Galaxy
When compared to other galaxies that have been caught by the James Webb Space Telescope, such as the galaxies CEERS 1019, CEERS 2782, and CEERS 746, the Maisie galaxy looks more prominent.
The Maisie galaxy is actually named after Finkelstein’s daughter, who at that time had her 10th birthday. The naming of galaxies after someone’s name is nothing new.
Because besides the Maisie galaxy, there are astronomers who also use their names for galaxies, such as Fritz Zwicky from Switzerland, Édouard Jean-Marie Stephan from France, and Carl Keenan Seyfert from America.
However, none of these influential scientists had accomplished so well at the age of nine, unlike Maisie.
At first, Finkelstein discovered the galaxy in JWST data on the ninth birthday of his daughter Maisie. At that time, his son also asked Finkelstein to name the galaxy after him.
However, Finkelstein tells him that the team of scientists isn’t really allowed to do that. But because they discovered it on Maisie’s birthday, Finkelstein also spontaneously started calling it the Maisie galaxy.
“When it came time to write a paper, and we were arguing about what to call the galaxy because we already called it, people suggested putting ‘Maisie’s galaxy’ in there and seeing what happened. We managed to get it and published under that name, ” explained Finkelstein further.
Maisie Galactic Distance Measurement
Meanwhile, to measure the distance of a galaxy and how long light years have traveled in the universe, astronomers use a measurement method called “Redshift”.
The wavelength of light can differ according to its color. If the wavelength is long, the light that appears is red. While the short wavelength will appear blue light.
If there are galaxies that initially have short waves and appear blue, it is possible that these galaxies can turn into long waves and appear reddish.
This color change is called “Redshift” or a shift in color to reddish by astronomers.
In the case of early galaxies like Maisie’s galaxy, the light produced by the waves was about 10 billion years old before it was caught by telescopes. As a result, it may be that the Maisie galaxy has undergone a color shift to a red glow. Luckily, the James Webb Space Telescope was able to catch it.
“The Hubble Space Telescope is not as powerful as the James Webb Telescope in capturing the redshift of the Maisie galaxy,” explained Finkelstein.
How Does the Maisie Galaxy Exist in Our Universe?
Finkelstein explained that the Maisie galaxy would be easily distinguishable from other galaxies in the universe today, such as the Milky Way galaxy, due to its much smaller size.
“The volume of the Meisie galaxy is now much smaller,” said Finkelstein.
In addition, the Maisie galaxy differs from most other “modern” galaxies in that, from observations, it appears that this galaxy used to give birth to several new stars during a period of starbursts or “starbusts”.
It’s also possible that Maisie’s galaxy was once a galaxy or star that was actually much bluer in color than other, younger stars. The Maisie Galaxy is also thought to be much brighter than astronomers initially thought.
“The Maisie Galaxy is easy to find because its light is much brighter. It is possible that in the past this galaxy produced stars with high levels, which made it brighter,” said Finkelstein.
Currently, Finkelstein will seek to continue examining the Maisie galaxy with the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) feature of the James Webb Space Telescope. That way he wants to dig deeper into Maisie’s galaxy information, such as by finding certain elements that are useful for his observations.
“The form of the Maisie galaxy which is bright enough and easy to detect will also make it easier for astronomers to observe and study it. This can be very useful for learning about the universe, especially in the early period with its oldest galaxy, Meisie,” he concluded.
Watch Video “Appearance of a Galaxy Similar to the Milky Way in the Young Universe”
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2023-08-21 12:30:00
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