{"id":11775,"date":"2024-08-26T12:08:39","date_gmt":"2024-08-26T16:08:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/webb-finds-early-galaxies-werent-too-big-for-their-britches-after-all\/"},"modified":"2024-08-26T12:08:39","modified_gmt":"2024-08-26T16:08:39","slug":"webb-finds-early-galaxies-werent-too-big-for-their-britches-after-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/webb-finds-early-galaxies-werent-too-big-for-their-britches-after-all\/","title":{"rendered":"Webb Finds Early Galaxies Weren\u2019t Too Big for Their Britches After All"},"content":{"rendered":"

Webb Finds Early Galaxies Weren\u2019t Too Big for Their Britches After All<\/h2>\n

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5 Min Read<\/div>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWebb Finds Early Galaxies Weren\u2019t Too Big for Their Britches After All\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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This image shows a small portion of the field observed by NASA\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope\u2019s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) for the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) survey. The full image appears below.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCredits: <\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNASA, ESA, CSA, S. Finkelstein (University of Texas)<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

It got called the crisis in cosmology. But now astronomers can explain some surprising recent discoveries.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

When astronomers got their first glimpses of galaxies in the early universe from NASA\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope, they were expecting to find galactic pipsqueaks, but instead they found what appeared to be a bevy of Olympic bodybuilders. Some galaxies appeared to have grown so massive, so quickly, that simulations couldn\u2019t account for them. Some researchers suggested this meant that something might be wrong with the theory that explains what the universe is made of and how it has evolved since the big bang, known as the standard model of cosmology.<\/p>\n

According to a new study in the Astronomical\u00a0Journal<\/em><\/a> led by University of Texas at Austin graduate student Katherine Chworowsky, some of those early galaxies are in fact much less massive than they first appeared. Black holes in some of these galaxies make them appear much brighter and bigger than they really are.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are still seeing more galaxies than predicted, although none of them are so massive that they \u2018break\u2019 the universe,\u201d Chworowsky said.<\/p>\n

The evidence was provided by Webb\u2019s Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) Survey<\/a>, led by Steven Finkelstein, a professor of astronomy at UT Austin and study co-author.<\/p>\n

Image A : CEERS Deep Field (NIRCam)<\/h2>\n
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\"Hundreds<\/a><\/figure>
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This image shows a small portion of the field observed by NASA\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope\u2019s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) for the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) survey. It is filled with galaxies. Some galaxies appear to have grown so massive, so quickly, that simulations couldn\u2019t account for them. However, a new study finds that some of those early galaxies are in fact much less massive than they first appeared. Black holes in some of those galaxies make them appear much brighter and bigger than they really are.<\/div>\n
NASA, ESA, CSA, S. Finkelstein (University of Texas)<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\t\tView 8k pixel full resolution version of the image<\/span>
\n\t\t<\/circle><\/path><\/svg>
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Black Holes Add to Brightness<\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to this latest study, the galaxies that appeared overly massive likely host black holes rapidly consuming gas. Friction in the fast-moving gas emits heat and light, making these galaxies much brighter than they would be if that light emanated just from stars. This extra light can make it appear that the galaxies contain many more stars, and hence are more massive, than we would otherwise estimate. When scientists remove these galaxies, dubbed \u201clittle red dots\u201d (based on their red color and small size), from the analysis, the remaining early galaxies are not too massive to fit within predictions of the standard model.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, the bottom line is there is no crisis in terms of the standard model of cosmology,\u201d Finkelstein said. \u201cAny time you have a theory that has stood the test of time for so long, you have to have overwhelming evidence to really throw it out. And that\u2019s simply not the case.\u201d<\/p>\n

Efficient Star Factories<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Although they\u2019ve settled the main dilemma, a less thorny problem remains: There are still roughly twice as many massive galaxies in Webb\u2019s data of the early universe than expected from the standard model. One possible reason might be that stars formed more quickly in the early universe than they do today.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe in the early universe, galaxies were better at turning gas into stars,\u201d Chworowsky said.<\/p>\n

Star formation happens when hot gas cools enough to succumb to gravity and condense into one or more stars. But as the gas contracts, it heats up, generating outward pressure. In our region of the universe, the balance of these opposing forces tends to make the star formation process very slow. But perhaps, according to some theories, because the early universe was denser than today, it was harder to blow gas out during star formation, allowing the process to go faster.<\/p>\n

More Evidence of Black Holes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Concurrently, astronomers have been analyzing the spectra<\/a> of \u201clittle red dots\u201d discovered with Webb, with researchers in both the CEERS team and others\u00a0finding\u00a0evidence of fast-moving hydrogen gas, a signature of black hole accretion disks. This supports the idea that at least some of the light coming from these compact, red objects comes from gas swirling around black holes, rather than stars \u2013 reinforcing Chworowsky and their team\u2019s conclusion that they are probably not as massive as astronomers initially thought.\u00a0 However, further observations of these intriguing objects are incoming, and should help solve the puzzle about how much light comes from stars versus gas around black holes.<\/p>\n

Often in science, when you answer one question, that leads to new questions. While Chworowsky and their colleagues have shown that the standard model of cosmology likely isn\u2019t broken, their work points to the need for new ideas in star formation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so there is still that sense of intrigue,\u201d Chworowsky said. \u201cNot everything is fully understood. That\u2019s what makes doing this kind of science fun, because it\u2019d be a terribly boring field if one paper figured everything out, or there were no more questions to answer.\u201dThe James Webb Space Telescope is the world\u2019s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).<\/em><\/p>\n

Downloads<\/h2>\n

Right click any image to save it or open a larger version<\/strong> in a new tab\/window via the browser\u2019s popup menu.<\/p>\n

View\/Download all image products at all resolutions <\/a><\/strong>for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute.<\/p>\n

View\/Download the research results<\/strong> from the Astronomical\u00a0Journal<\/em><\/a> .<\/p>\n

Media Contacts<\/h2>\n

Laura\u00a0Betz<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0laura.e.betz@nasa.gov<\/a>, Rob Gutro<\/strong> \u2013 rob.gutro@nasa.gov<\/a>
NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center<\/a>, Greenbelt, Md.<\/p>\n

Marc Airhart<\/strong> \u2013 mairhart@austin.utexas.edu<\/a>
University of Texas at Austin<\/p>\n

Christine Pulliam<\/strong> \u2013 cpulliam@stsci.edu<\/a>
Space Telescope Science Institute<\/a>, Baltimore, Md.<\/p>\n

Related Information<\/h2>\n

VIDEO<\/strong>: CEERS Fly-through data visualization<\/a><\/p>\n

ARTICLE<\/strong>: Webb Science \u2013 Galaxies Through Time<\/a><\/p>\n

INFOGRAPHIC<\/strong>: Learn More about black holes<\/a><\/p>\n

VIDEO<\/strong>: Webb Science Snippets Video: \u201cThe Early Universe\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

INFOGRAPHIC<\/strong>: What is Cosmological Redshift?<\/a><\/p>\n

More Webb News<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

More Webb Images<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Webb Science Themes<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Webb Mission Page<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n

Related For Kids<\/h2>\n

What is a galaxy?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

What is the Webb Telescope?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

SpacePlace for Kids<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

En Espa\u00f1ol<\/h2>\n

Para Ni\u00f1os<\/strong> : Qu\u00e9 es una galaxia?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ciencia de la NASA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

NASA en espa\u00f1ol\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Space Place\u00a0para ni\u00f1os<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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