Astronomers discover oxygen in the most distant galaxy

Two independent teams of astronomers have detected the presence of oxygen in the most distant galaxy known to date – a surprising discovery that suggests the Universe has developed and 'matured' more quickly than previously thought.

The galaxy JADES-GS-z14-0 (pictured), discovered last year by the James Webb Space Telescope, is so far away that its light took 13.4 billion years to reach Earth.

This means that we see it as it was just 300 million years after the Big Bang, when the Universe was only about 2% of its age today.

Now, two research teams report that they have identified the spectral signature of oxygen in this ancient galaxy, an indication that it is chemically more evolved than expected.

This is surprising, considering that the first galaxies in the Universe were composed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium.

Heavier elements, such as oxygen and carbon, were created later through nuclear fusion processes in the hearts of stars and spread into space through stellar explosions (supernovae).

According to astronomers' calculations, a universe only 300 million years old would not be expected to contain significant amounts of heavy elements.

But new data shows that the galaxy 'JADES-GS-z14-0' contains about ten times more oxygen than predicted.

"It's like finding a teenager when you expected to see a baby," said Sander Swoosh of the Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands, who led one of the studies, now accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal.

"I was surprised by the unexpected results. Evidence of such a developed galaxy in a still young universe opens up big questions about how and when galaxies formed," said Stefano Caravani of the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, Italy, who led the other study, which is expected to be published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Caravani was also part of the team that discovered the galaxy JADES-GS-z14-0 last year.

Since then, he had expressed surprise at the object's unusual brightness, which suggested the presence of a large number of stars.

"These discoveries raise the question of how nature managed to create such a bright and massive galaxy in less than 300 million years," he added.

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