300 million years after the Big Bang, scientists have discovered one of the distant galaxies that contains a significant amount of oxygen.
The discovery was facilitated with the assistance of the ALMA telescope. It serves as an indication of galaxies maturing quicker than ever, reported CNN.
The galaxy in question, known as JADES-GS-z14-0, found in 2024, is the most distant galaxy observed by astronomers at a huge distance of 13.4 billion light-years from Earth.
Related: NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope spots most distant galaxy
The JADES-GS-z14-0 galaxy comes as compared to the predictions made by researchers earlier than the universe lacks such heavy elements.
The significant amount of oxygen in a galaxy suggests that the star formation and chemical enrichment happens rapidly.
This breakthrough development was reported by two independent research teams, offering a sneak peek into a more precise distance measurement of the galaxy and nullifying timelines of galaxy evolution which were previously presented.
After this groundbreaking discovery, scientists recommended a partnership between the ALMA telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to progress early cosmic discoveries.
According to experts, this discovery would reshape our understanding of how galaxies formed.
A study author Sander Schouws stated, “It is like finding an adolescent where you would only expect babies.”
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," Schouws added.
Related: NASA's James Webb Telescope captures cosmic dance of 'Penguin and Egg' galaxies
