F200DB-045 is a candidate high-redshift

galaxy A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, dark matter, bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Greek ' (), literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar System. ...

, with an estimated

redshift In physics, a redshift is an increase in the wavelength, and corresponding decrease in the frequency and photon energy, of electromagnetic radiation (such as light). The opposite change, a decrease in wavelength and simultaneous increase in f ...

of approximately z = 20.4, corresponding to 168 million years after the

Big Bang The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...

. (H₀=67.4 and Omega_M=0.315 (see Table/Planck2018 at " Lambda-CDM model#Parameters" ) If confirmed, it would be one of the earliest and most distant known galaxies observed. F200DB-045 would have a light-travel distance (

lookback time Before Present (BP) years, or "years before present", is a time scale used mainly in archaeology, geology and other scientific disciplines to specify when events occurred relative to the origin of practical radiocarbon dating in the 1950s. Becau ...

) of 13.7 billion years, and, due to the

expansion of the universe The expansion of the universe is the increase in distance between any two given gravitationally unbound parts of the observable universe with time. It is an intrinsic expansion whereby the scale of space itself changes. The universe does not exp ...

, a present proper distance of 36.1 billion light-years. Nonetheless, the redshift value of the galaxy presented by the procedure in one study may differ from the values presented in other studies using different procedures.

Discovery

The candidate high-redshift

F200DB-045 was discovered within the data from the Early Release Observations (ERO) that was obtained using the

Near Infrared Camera NIRCam (Near-InfraRed Camera) is an instrument aboard the James Webb Space Telescope. It has two major tasks, as an imager from 0.6 to 5 micron wavelength, and as a wavefront sensor to keep the 18-section mirrors functioning as one. In other wor ...

of the

James Webb Space Telescope The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope which conducts infrared astronomy. As the largest optical telescope in space, its high resolution and sensitivity allow it to view objects too old, distant, or faint for the Hubble Spa ...

(JWST) in July 2022. This data included a nearby

galaxy cluster A galaxy cluster, or a cluster of galaxies, is a structure that consists of anywhere from hundreds to thousands of galaxies that are bound together by gravity, with typical masses ranging from 1014 to 1015 solar masses. They are the second-l ...

SMACS 0723-73, a massive cluster known as a possible "cosmic telescope" in amplifying background galaxies, including the F200DB-045 background galaxy.

Distance

Only a

photometric redshift A photometric redshift is an estimate for the recession velocity of an astronomical object such as a galaxy or quasar, made without measuring its spectrum. The technique uses photometry (that is, the brightness of the object viewed through various ...

has been determined for F200DB-045; follow-up spectroscopic measurements will be required to confirm the redshift (see

spectroscopic redshift In physics, a redshift is an increase in the wavelength, and corresponding decrease in the frequency and photon energy, of electromagnetic radiation (such as light). The opposite change, a decrease in wavelength and simultaneous increase in fr ...

). Spectroscopy could also determine the chemical composition, size and temperature of the galaxy. If confirmed, then the galaxy may have existed in the

early universe The chronology of the universe describes the history and future of the universe according to Big Bang cosmology. Research published in 2015 estimates the earliest stages of the universe's existence as taking place 13.8 billion years ago, wit ...

which may indicate that it may have been composed primarily of dust as well as stars, most likely

population III During 1944, Walter Baade categorized groups of stars within the Milky Way into stellar populations. In the abstract of the article by Baade, he recognizes that Jan Oort originally conceived this type of classification in 1926: Baade noticed th ...

stars, which may have been very young and massive. Also, as well, the galaxy may have been in the star formation phase.

References

{{Portal bar, Astronomy, Chemistry, Outer space, Physics, Stars Astronomical objects discovered in 2022 Galaxies

Discovery

Distance

See also

References