The James Webb Telescope captures a 'knot' of galaxies in the early universe
The James Webb Space Telescope has produced its second revealing image in as many days. Scientists using the observatory have discovered a tight "knot" of at least three galaxies that formed around a quasar 11.5 billion years ago, just over 2 billion years after the Big Bang. The telescope's near-infrared spectrograph not only showed the galaxies orbiting at high speeds (up to 435 miles per second), but it was one of the densest known areas of galaxy formation. early. The density is unusually high enough that lead researcher Dominika Wylezalek suggests there may even be two "halos" of dark matter merging in this area.
The quasar itself is unusual. The not-so-elegantly-named SDSS J165202.64+172852.3 is a very red example that doesn't emit as wide a variety of light as the already rare "normal" quasars. These objects serve as active galactic nuclei and are fueled by gas falling into a supermassive black hole at the heart of their galaxies.
The images also underscore the strength of the Webb Telescope's sensors. Previous studies using the Hubble and Gemini-North telescopes spotted outflows from the quasar, but did not reveal more than one host galaxy.
Further studies are needed to determine how clusters of galaxies like this form and are affected by supermassive black holes. However, Webb's findings already promise to improve humanity's understanding of how the current network of galaxies came into existence, not to mention how quasars could stifle star formation through their streams. .
This is just the beginning of quasar discoveries based on Webb. The team noted that Hubble data suggests there could be even more galaxies swirling around the quasar. It is also the first part of a trilogy of studies using Webb to analyze quasars at various points in the history of the universe. These efforts could significantly shed light on cosmic evolution in the years to come.
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The James Webb Space Telescope has produced its second revealing image in as many days. Scientists using the observatory have discovered a tight "knot" of at least three galaxies that formed around a quasar 11.5 billion years ago, just over 2 billion years after the Big Bang. The telescope's near-infrared spectrograph not only showed the galaxies orbiting at high speeds (up to 435 miles per second), but it was one of the densest known areas of galaxy formation. early. The density is unusually high enough that lead researcher Dominika Wylezalek suggests there may even be two "halos" of dark matter merging in this area.
The quasar itself is unusual. The not-so-elegantly-named SDSS J165202.64+172852.3 is a very red example that doesn't emit as wide a variety of light as the already rare "normal" quasars. These objects serve as active galactic nuclei and are fueled by gas falling into a supermassive black hole at the heart of their galaxies.
The images also underscore the strength of the Webb Telescope's sensors. Previous studies using the Hubble and Gemini-North telescopes spotted outflows from the quasar, but did not reveal more than one host galaxy.
Further studies are needed to determine how clusters of galaxies like this form and are affected by supermassive black holes. However, Webb's findings already promise to improve humanity's understanding of how the current network of galaxies came into existence, not to mention how quasars could stifle star formation through their streams. .
This is just the beginning of quasar discoveries based on Webb. The team noted that Hubble data suggests there could be even more galaxies swirling around the quasar. It is also the first part of a trilogy of studies using Webb to analyze quasars at various points in the history of the universe. These efforts could significantly shed light on cosmic evolution in the years to come.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices correct at time of publication.
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