The inset is overlaid on an image taken with the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. The two spectra shown here result from an independent analysis of ALMA data by two teams of astronomers. Both found an emission line of oxygen, making this the most distant detection of oxygen when the universe was only 300 million years old. ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Carniani et al./S. Schouws et al./JWST: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Brant Robertson (UC Santa Cruz), Ben Johnson (CfA), Sandro Tacchella (Cambridge), Phill Cargile (CfA).
This artist’s animation shows JADES-GS-z14-0, the most-distant galaxy confirmed to date. We see this galaxy as it was when the Universe was less than 300 million years old, about 2% of its present age. Such galaxies were thought to be too young to be ripe with heavy elements, but the discovery of oxygen by two teams of astronomers suggest this is not the case. Instead, as this recreation shows, JADES-GS-z14-0 must have had multiple generations of stars being born and dying as supernovae, producing and leaving behind heavy elements like oxygen. This element has now been detected thanks to the extreme sensitivity of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Credits: ESO/M. Kornmesser.
Two different scientific teams have detected oxygen in JADES-GS-z14-0. The breakthrough, reported in two separate studies, was made possible thanks to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). This record-breaking detection makes astronomers rethink how quickly galaxies formed in the early universe.
Discovered in 2024, JADES-GS-z14-0 is the most distant confirmed galaxy ever found. Its light took 13.4 billion years to reach us, meaning we see it as when the universe was less than 300 million (about 2% of its present age). The new oxygen detection with ALMA suggests the galaxy is more chemically mature than expected.
"It is like finding an adolescent where you would only expect babies," says Sander Schouws, a PhD candidate at Leiden Observatory, Netherlands, and first author of the Dutch-led study. "The results show the galaxy has formed and matured very rapidly, adding to a growing body of evidence that the formation of galaxies happens much faster than expected."
Galaxies usually start their lives with plenty of young stars, which are made mostly of light elements like hydrogen and helium. As stars evolve, they create heavier elements like oxygen, which get dispersed through their host galaxy after they die. Researchers thought that, at 300 million years old, the universe was still too young to have galaxies ripe with heavy elements. However, the two ALMA studies indicate that JADES-GS-z14-0 has about 10 times more heavy elements than expected.
"I was astonished by the unexpected results because they opened a new view on the first phases of galaxy evolution," says Stefano Carniani of the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa, Italy, and lead author on the second paper. "The evidence that a galaxy is already mature in the infant Universe raises questions about when and how galaxies formed."
The oxygen detection has also allowed astronomers to make their distance measurements to JADES-GS-z14-0 much more accurate. "The ALMA detection offers an extraordinarily precise measurement of the galaxy's distance down to an uncertainty of just 0.005%. This level of precision — analogous to being accurate within 5 cm over 1 km — helps refine our understanding of distant galaxy properties", adds Eleonora Parlanti, a PhD student at the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa.
"While the galaxy was originally discovered with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), it took ALMA to confirm and precisely determine its enormous distance," says Associate Professor Rychard Bouwens, a team member at Leiden Observatory.". This shows the amazing synergy between ALMA and JWST to reveal the formation and evolution of the first galaxies."
Gergö Popping, an European Southern Observatory (ESO) astronomer at the European ALMA Regional Centre who did not participate in the studies, says: "I was really surprised by this clear detection of oxygen in JADES-GS-z14-0. It suggests galaxies can form more rapidly after the Big Bang than previously thought. This result showcases the important role ALMA plays in unraveling the conditions under which the first galaxies in our universe formed."
Discovered in 2024, JADES-GS-z14-0 is the most distant confirmed galaxy ever found. Its light took 13.4 billion years to reach us, meaning we see it as when the universe was less than 300 million (about 2% of its present age). The new oxygen detection with ALMA suggests the galaxy is more chemically mature than expected.
"It is like finding an adolescent where you would only expect babies," says Sander Schouws, a PhD candidate at Leiden Observatory, Netherlands, and first author of the Dutch-led study. "The results show the galaxy has formed and matured very rapidly, adding to a growing body of evidence that the formation of galaxies happens much faster than expected."
Galaxies usually start their lives with plenty of young stars, which are made mostly of light elements like hydrogen and helium. As stars evolve, they create heavier elements like oxygen, which get dispersed through their host galaxy after they die. Researchers thought that, at 300 million years old, the universe was still too young to have galaxies ripe with heavy elements. However, the two ALMA studies indicate that JADES-GS-z14-0 has about 10 times more heavy elements than expected.
"I was astonished by the unexpected results because they opened a new view on the first phases of galaxy evolution," says Stefano Carniani of the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa, Italy, and lead author on the second paper. "The evidence that a galaxy is already mature in the infant Universe raises questions about when and how galaxies formed."
The oxygen detection has also allowed astronomers to make their distance measurements to JADES-GS-z14-0 much more accurate. "The ALMA detection offers an extraordinarily precise measurement of the galaxy's distance down to an uncertainty of just 0.005%. This level of precision — analogous to being accurate within 5 cm over 1 km — helps refine our understanding of distant galaxy properties", adds Eleonora Parlanti, a PhD student at the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa.
"While the galaxy was originally discovered with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), it took ALMA to confirm and precisely determine its enormous distance," says Associate Professor Rychard Bouwens, a team member at Leiden Observatory.". This shows the amazing synergy between ALMA and JWST to reveal the formation and evolution of the first galaxies."
Gergö Popping, an European Southern Observatory (ESO) astronomer at the European ALMA Regional Centre who did not participate in the studies, says: "I was really surprised by this clear detection of oxygen in JADES-GS-z14-0. It suggests galaxies can form more rapidly after the Big Bang than previously thought. This result showcases the important role ALMA plays in unraveling the conditions under which the first galaxies in our universe formed."
< Additional information
The results of the studies are published in the following papers:
The European Southern Observatory (ESO), an ALMA partner on behalf of Europe, published the original press release.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international astronomy facility, is a partnership of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is funded by ESO on behalf of its Member Sta
Contacts:
Nicolás Lira
Education and Public Outreach Coordinator
Joint ALMA Observatory, Santiago - Chile
Phone:+56 2 2467 6519
Cel: +56 9 9445 7726tes, by NSF in cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) in Taiwan, and by NINS in cooperation with the Academia Sinica (AS) in Taiwan and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI).
ALMA construction and operations are led by ESO on behalf of its Member States; by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), on behalf of North America; and by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) on behalf of East Asia. The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) provides the unified leadership and management of ALMA's construction, commissioning, and operation.
ALMA construction and operations are led by ESO on behalf of its Member States; by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), on behalf of North America; and by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) on behalf of East Asia. The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) provides the unified leadership and management of ALMA's construction, commissioning, and operation.
Contacts:
Nicolás Lira
Education and Public Outreach Coordinator
Joint ALMA Observatory, Santiago - Chile
Phone:+56 2 2467 6519
Email: nicolas.lira@alma.cl
Bárbara Ferreira
ESO Media Manager
Garching bei München, Germany
Phone: +49 89 3200 6670
Email: press@eso.org
Jill Malusky
Public Information Officer
NRAO
Phone: +1 304-456-2236
Email: jmalusky@nrao.edu
Yuichi Matsuda
ALMA EA-ARC Staff Member
NAOJ
Email: yuichi.matsuda@nao.ac.jp
