The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered the oldest known galaxy in the universe, according to scientists at NASA.
The telescope, used by researchers to peer into some of the most distant regions of our universe, discovered a galaxy called GLASS-z13, which, at 13.5 billion years old, is estimated to have formed 300 million years after the Big Bang.
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The galaxy, known as GLASS-z13, has broken the record for the oldest galaxy ever observed by nearly 100 million years! pic.twitter.com/IljhTPlZSw
— New Scientist (@newscientist) July 20, 2022
The previous record holder, GN-z11, was formed 400 million years after the Big Bang. GN-z11 was discovered in 2016 by the Hubble Space Telescope, but its record has been passed by GLASS-z13 by 100 million years.
“Astronomy records are crumbling already, and more are shaky. … Yes, I tend to only cheer once science results clear peer review. But, this looks very promising!” Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the NASA Science Mission Directorate, tweeted soon after the discovery.
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GLASS-z13 is estimated to be 1,600 light-years long, a far cry from the Earth’s home galaxy, the Milky Way, which stretches 100,000 light-years in diameter.
The James Webb Space Telescope was launched in late December 2021. The telescope is the result of nearly $10 billion and has been in the works for 30 years of construction.
