Ancient Galaxy 25 Billion Light-Years Away: Researchers Uncover Traits of the Earliest Quiescent Objects

GS-9209, a galaxy discovered by Edinburgh researchers and observed with the James Webb Space Telescope, is the earliest known quiescent galaxy, forming 600 to 800 million years after the Big Bang and ceasing star production approximately 500 million years later. Although GS-9209 is ten times smaller than the Milky Way, it contains a similar number of stars—around 40 billion solar masses. The galaxy's central supermassive black hole is five times larger than expected for a galaxy of this size, potentially causing the shutdown of star formation by emitting intense radiation that expelled gas from the galaxy.

Located 25 billion light-years away, GS-9209 offers a unique glimpse into the universe's early history, with light from the galaxy reaching us after 12.5 billion years. The study indicates that the growth of supermassive black holes plays a crucial role in halting star formation in early galaxies. Dr. Adam Carnall noted that the James Webb Space Telescope has revealed that galaxies formed faster and larger than previously thought in cosmic history. GS-9209 was first identified in 2004 by Ph.D. student Karina Caputi and later detailed in a study published in Nature.



https://instegro.net/ancient-galaxy-25-billion-light-years-away-researchers-uncover-traits-of-the-earliest-quiescent-objects/?fsp_sid=72675