The discovery of a faint, yet distinct galaxy from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has astronomers excited about the potential to uncover a hidden population of galaxies. The object, AzTECC71, was initially observed as a glowing blob from ground-based telescopes and later vanished in images from the Hubble Space Telescope. Now, using the JWST, astronomers with the COSMOS-Web collaboration have identified AzTECC71 as a dusty star-forming galaxy from nearly 1 billion years after the Big Bang.
The team published its findings in The Astrophysical Journal, marking it as the largest initial JWST research initiative. The goal of the COSMOS-Web project is to map up to 1 million galaxies from a part of the sky the size of three full moons. This research is expected to contribute to the understanding of the earliest structures of the universe.
The discovery of AzTECC71 suggests that heavily dust-obscured galaxies may be more common in the early universe than previously thought. Until now, the understanding of galaxy evolution in the early universe has been biased due to the inability to see these obscured galaxies in optical light.
The ability of the JWST to pierce through these dusty veils has the scientific community excited about the potential to study for the first time the optical and infrared properties of these heavily dust-obscured, hidden population of galaxies. The team estimates that AzTECC71 is being viewed at a redshift of about 6, roughly 900 million years after the Big Bang.
Lead researcher, Jed McKinney, described AzTECC71 as a “real monster,” indicating that the galaxy is forming hundreds of new stars every year, despite its appearance as a little blob. This exciting discovery opens the door for further exploration into these JWST-faint galaxies, as the team works to uncover more of them.
The research serves as a significant milestone in the study of early galaxies and their obscured nature, and raises new questions and possibilities about the early universe and the history of galaxy evolution. The ability of the JWST to reveal these galaxies has the potential to reshape our understanding of the cosmos. With the publication of their findings, the COSMOS-Web collaboration aims to continue its groundbreaking research, uncovering new insights into the history and nature of our universe.