Inbox Astronomy: NASA's Webb Sees Galaxy Mysteriously Clearing Fog of Early Universe

INBOX ASTRONOMY

NASA's Webb Sees Galaxy Mysteriously Clearing Fog of Early Universe

Release date: Wednesday, March 26, 2025 12:00:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Unexpected, bright hydrogen emission caught astronomers by surprise.

The early universe was filled with a thick fog of neutral hydrogen. Even though the first stars and galaxies emitted copious amounts of ultraviolet light, that light struggled to pierce the fog. It took hundreds of millions of years for the neutral hydrogen to become ionized, electrons stripped from protons, allowing light to travel freely through space.

Astronomers are seeking to understand this unique time of transformation, known as the era of reionization. A newly discovered galaxy illuminated this era in an unexpected way. JADES-GS-z13-1, observed just 330 million years after the big bang, shows bright hydrogen emission that should have been absorbed by the cosmic fog. Theorists are struggling to explain how its light could have pierced the fog at such an early time.

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Find additional articles, images, and videos at WebbTelescope.org

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