Oxygen was just found in a distant galaxy — and it may provide answers on how ours developed

In: Science

Scientists have announced the surprising discovery of oxygen and other heavy metals in the most distant known galaxy.

The galaxy, which is known as JADES-GS-z14-0, is 13.4 billion light years away from Earth. It was just found last year using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.

“I was really surprised by this clear detection of oxygen in JADES-GS-z14-0,” Gergö Popping, an astronomer at the European Southern Observatory’s European ALMA Regional Centre who did not take part in the research, said in a statement. “It suggests galaxies can form more rapidly after the Big Bang than had previously been thought.“

Scientists have discovered oxygen in the most distant known galaxy. The findings suggest they can form more rapidly than was previously believed

Scientists have discovered oxygen in the most distant known galaxy. The findings suggest they can form more rapidly than was previously believed (ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Carniani et al./S. Schouws et al/JWST: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Brant Robertson (UC Santa Cruz), Ben Johnson (CfA), Sandro Tacchella (Cambridge), Phill Cargile (CfA))

The finding was made in two separate studies conducted by two different teams of astronomers. It has allowed scientists to improve distance measurements to the galaxy.

They used the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array: a group of dozens of radio telescopes in the Chilean desert and the largest astronomical project in existence.

The images show the galaxy as it was when the universe was less than 300 million years old, just about 2 percent of its current age, the researchers noted.

Finding oxygen there tells astronomers that the galaxy is much more chemically mature than expected. Researchers had thought that at its age it was still too young to have galaxies ripe with heavy elements. But it has about 10 times more heavy elements than they had estimated.

Galaxies usually start their lives full of young stars, which are made mostly of lighter elements, including hydrogen and helium. As they evolve, the stars create heavier elements that are sent out through their host galaxy after they die.

JADES-GS-z14-0 is the current record-holder for the most distant known galaxy. It was found using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope

JADES-GS-z14-0 is the current record-holder for the most distant known galaxy. It was found using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, B. Robertson (UC Santa Cruz), B. Johnson (CfA), S. Tacchella (Cambridge), P. Cargile (CfA))

“It is like finding an adolescent where you would only expect babies,” said Sander Schouws, the first author of the study now accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. “The results show the galaxy has formed very rapidly and is also maturing rapidly, adding to a growing body of evidence that the formation of galaxies happens much faster than was expected.”

“I was astonished by the unexpected results because they opened a new view on the first phases of galaxy evolution,” said Stefano Carniani of the Scuola Normale Superiore, the lead author of the second paper now accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. “The evidence that a galaxy is already mature in the infant universe raises questions about when and how galaxies formed.”