Scientists are getting closer to the Big Bang. But why does the Super Telescope find galaxies that shouldn't be there?

Image: NASA/NASA

Image: NASA/STScI

The James Webb Space Telescope looks further back in time than its predecessors. The goal is to learn more about the origin of the universe.

Now Webb discovered this little red light. Scientists believe it is light from a galaxy. Otherwise, it turns old truths upside down.

Published: 09/23/2023 16:14

Updated: 09/23/2023 20:04

The short version

The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered galaxies that appear to be “full-grown” just 3 to 400 million years after the Big Bang. This contradicts current theories about the evolution of the universe.
The galaxies discovered are larger than expected and contain “very old” stars.
This would mean that parts of cosmology would have to be revised. One theory is that the universe expanded faster than thought after the Big Bang.

The summary is created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and quality guaranteed by Aftenposten journalists.

The James Webb Space Telescope has set a new long-viewing record. It is approaching the beginning of the universe, the Big Bang. Most experts agree that this happened 13.8 billion years ago.

We now have images of galaxies that are less than 400 million years old. This in itself is not surprising. It is consistent with what astronomers envisioned.

But the galaxies Webb discovered are much larger than expected. And the stars they are made of are “very old.”

This contradicts current theories about how universities developed in the early days.

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