An international research team has used the James Webb Space Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array to observe the most distant galaxy protocluster to date, 13.14 billion light-years away. The team has successfully captured the 'core region' of the galaxy protocluster, which corresponds to a metropolitan area with a particularly high number density of galaxies. The team has revealed that many galaxies are concentrated in a small area and that the growth of galaxies is accelerated. Furthermore, the team used simulations to predict the future of the metropolitan area and found that the region will merge into one larger galaxy within tens of millions of years. These results are expected to provide important clues regarding the birth and growth of galaxies.
An international research team led by Assistant Professor Takuya Hashimoto and Researcher Javier Álvarez-Márquez , Spain) has used the James Webb Space Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array to observe the most distant galaxy protocluster to date, 13.14 billion light-years away. The team has successfully captured the"core region" of the galaxy protocluster, which corresponds to a metropolitan area with a particularly high number density of galaxies.
The study of how individual stars are born and die in galaxies, how new stars are born from remnants of old stars, and how galaxies themselves grow are important themes in astronomy, as they provide insight into our roots in the Universe. Galaxy clusters, one of the largest structures in the Universe, are the assembly of more than 100 galaxies which are bound together through mutual gravitational force.
The research team first observed the core region of this protocluster using JWST. Using NIRSpec, an instrument that observes spectra at wavelengths ranging from visible to near-infrared, the team made integral field spectroscopy observations that can simultaneously acquire spectra from all locations within the field of view.
Furthermore, the research team conducted a galaxy formation simulation to theoretically test how the four galaxies in the core region formed and evolved. The results showed that a region of dense gas particles existed around 680 million years after the Big Bang, and shows that four galaxies are formed, similar to the observed core region.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
James Webb Space Telescope and ALMA capture the core of the most distant galaxy protoclusterThe study of how individual stars are born and die in galaxies, how new stars are born from remnants of old stars, and how galaxies themselves grow are important themes in astronomy, as they provide insight into our roots in the universe. Galaxy clusters, one of the largest structures in the universe, are the assembly of more than 100 galaxies which are bound together through mutual gravitational force.
Read more »
James Webb telescope captures colorful bursts of gas, dust in new imageThe star is a few tens of thousands of years old, a baby compared to our sun which is estimated to be about 4.5 billion years old.
Read more »
James Webb telescope snaps rainbow 'lightsaber' shockwaves shooting out of a newborn sun-like starThe James Webb Space Telescope captured a new image of a young sun-like protostar spitting out gas and dust that forms stunning shockwaves when viewed in infrared.
Read more »
NASA's Webb Telescope: Nine stunning photos of solar system and beyondNASA has been releasing images from its James Webb Space Telescope for over a year, offering new perspectives on distant planets and galaxies.
Read more »
Why The Earliest Galaxies Are Sparking Drama And Controversy Among AstronomersThe James Webb Space Telescope is not only finding galaxies forming 200 to 500 million years after the Big Bang, but also that they are bigger and brighter than astronomers expected.
Read more »
Astrophoto of the month: Super Blood Wolf MoonHere we showcase some of the best space photos submitted by our Space.com readers!
Read more »