Astronomers have discovered oxygen and heavy elements in the most distant known galaxy, called JADES-GS-z14-0.
This galaxy is 13.4 billion light-years away, meaning we see it as it looked when the universe was only about 300 million years old. It was first found in January 2024 using the James Webb Space Telescope, and later studied more closely using the ALMA observatory in Chile.
Finding oxygen in such an early galaxy surprised scientists. Normally, oxygen and other heavy elements form after stars live and die, so their presence means many stars had already formed and exploded much earlier than expected. This suggests galaxies may have grown and matured faster just after the Big Bang, which happened about 13.8 billion years ago.
JADES-GS-z14-0 isn’t just far away—it’s also one of the brightest early galaxies seen, which is unusual since older galaxies are usually small and faint. Scientists believe this galaxy already went through several generations of stars, even though it formed so early in the universe’s history.
The discovery is helping astronomers understand more about the mysterious period called Cosmic Dawn, when the first galaxies began to form. It also shows how powerful tools like the Webb Telescope and ALMA are when used together to explore deep space.
