Most Distant Galaxy Confirmed in New JWST Images

In the above image, these few pixels represent the earliest galaxy known to date. The image is from the Near-infrared Camera aboard the JWST; the rectangles represent slits through which the Near-infrared Spectrograph took a spectrum. Credit: R. Naidu et al. / Open Journal of Astrophysics 2025

New James Webb Space Telescope data shows us what the earliest known galaxy in the universe looks like.

The most distant bright galaxy confirmed to date – MoM-z14 – has had its characteristics unveiled thanks to new images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The galaxy resides in a universe a mere 280 million years old.

The bright, early galaxy doesn’t fit traditional theories of galaxy formation. The Hubble Space Telescope, however, provided hints that such luminous galaxies might be commonplace with the discovery of GN-z11, announced in 2016. Since JWST started observing almost three years ago, the number of sightings has turned from a trickle to a torrent.

Numerous candidates whose extreme distance redshifts their light toward longer wavelengths have been identified, but the physics supporting them remains mysterious. Some have even suggested that nearer galaxies, with an abundance of dust that reddens their light, might impersonate distant galaxies.

Enter the “Mirage or Miracle” (MoM) survey, which helps determine whether suspected bright, early galaxies really lie so far away. The MoM survey is using the Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) on JWST to take new images of previously identified targets in patches of sky that astronomers have imaged again and again over the years. The new find, presented by a multinational team of astronomers led by Rohan Naidu (MIT), is published in the Open Journal of Astrophysics.

(Source: skyandtelescope.org)