Under the eyes of NASA’s James Webb Super Telescope, the “through-the-air” image of a galaxy belonging to the cosmic dawn has revealed the oldest “seeds of life” ever recorded.
This groundbreaking discovery was recorded in SPT0418-47a galaxy obscured by dust, existed when the universe was only about 10% of its current age.
According to Sci-News, a research team led by Professor Joaquin Vieira of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA) analyzed James Webb’s data (mainly developed and exploited by NASA) and discovered the existence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) interspersed with galactic dust particles that glow at infrared wavelengths.

SPT0418-47 red galaxy with glowing organic molecules under orange light
Galaxy SPT0418-47 is red with organic molecules glowing in orange light, while a foreground galaxy is marked in blue – (Image: NASA/ESA/CSA).
ЅPT0418-47 is located 12 billion light-years from Earth, which means that light also needs 12 billion years to shine from it to Earth. This means that we are looking at an image 12 billion years ago of this galaxy, in the middle of the universe of the distant past.
Thus, the HAs it possesses – the complex form of organic molecules that form the basis of life today – are also the oldest organic molecules mankind has ever found.
Spectral data from the galaxy also show that the interstellar gas it contains is enriched in heavy elements. This means that this galaxy has undergone an active process for a long time, with many generations of stars being born and dying, according to the publication in the scientific journal Nature.
The principle of the development of the universe – initially composed of only a few poor elements – is that more and more elements are created by “reactor” in the nuclei of stars. When a star reaches the end of its life cycle and explodes, it adds new elements that make the chemical composition of the universe increasingly diverse.
Therefore, this study also adds to the growing evidence that the universe expanded very rapidly in its early days, a horizon that scientists are always eager to explore further to explain our own existence.
At the same time, it also offers a new way to explore the past, that is, through the dust particles around galaxies, which have absorbed half of the radiation emitted by nearby stars throughout history and illuminate under the lenses of infrared observatories.
Article source: NTD
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Under the eyes of NASA’s James Webb Super Telescope, an image “through the air” of a galaxy belonging to the cosmic dawn has revealed information…