Space Telescope Uncovers Massive Galaxies Near Cosmic Dawn
February 22, 2023 10:10AM PST
This image provided by NASA and the European Space Agency shows images of six candidate massive galaxies, seen 500-800 million years after the Big Bang. One of the sources (bottom left) could contain as many stars as our present-day Milky Way, but is 30 times more compact (NASA via AP)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – Astronomers have discovered what appear to be massive galaxies dating back to within 600 million years of the Big Bang.
The findings suggest the early universe may have had a stellar fast-track that produced these monster galaxies.
While the new James Webb Space Telescope has spotted even older galaxies during its first year of work, it’s the size and maturity of these six apparent mega-galaxies that stun scientists.
That’s because they expected to find little baby galaxies so close to the dawn of the universe, not these whoppers.
They reported their findings Wednesday.
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