First Potential Discovery of a Galaxy from the Universe's Initial Star Generation

An international team of researchers may have identified a distant galaxy that could belong to the universe's first generation of stars, a significant breakthrough in astrophysics. This finding has been documented in a research paper submitted to the Astrophysical Journal and is currently available for preliminary review.

The researchers have highlighted two galaxies of interest, with one, designated GLIMPSE-16043, being particularly noteworthy. Astronomer Rohan Naidu remarked that if one were to design a galaxy made up of Population III stars, GLIMPSE-16043 would be an ideal example. The discovery was made after systematically surveying hundreds of thousands of galaxies.

Population III refers to the earliest stars formed after the Big Bang, composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, along with trace amounts of lithium. These stars have never been directly observed, and much about their structure and lifecycle remains theoretical. It is believed that they were significantly more massive than our sun, potentially ten to a hundred times larger, and they likely ended their brief existence in massive supernova explosions. These explosions were responsible for creating heavier elements such as carbon, oxygen, magnesium, and iron, which subsequently formed the basis for later star populations. So far, only remnants of these explosive events have been found.

According to the report summarized by Science, the research team, led by Seiji Fujimoto from the University of Texas, conducted a rapid and targeted search for specific characteristics that would indicate the presence of these elusive galaxies. They focused on galaxies exhibiting a strong spectral signature of hydrogen, while lacking traces of heavier elements like oxygen. This search utilized a small segment of observational data from the James Webb Space Telescope, which allowed them to glimpse GLIMPSE-16043 as it appeared approximately 850 million years after the Big Bang. This galaxy has a mass roughly equivalent to 100,000 suns and is recorded to be about five million years old.

At this stage, both GLIMPSE-16043 and a second candidate galaxy, JOF-21739, are still under investigation. The confirmation of their characteristics will rely on further observations with the advanced capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope, expected to commence in June. Should these observations validate that GLIMPSE-16043 indeed represents a galaxy from the first generation of stars, it could contribute significantly to our understanding of the early universe, particularly regarding how these stars contributed to making the universe transparent.