'Red Monsters' galaxy discovery raises question about formation of universe
Scientists have confessed to being 'surprised' that such large galaxies existed just 1 billion years after the Big Bang.
Astronomers believe the universe grew more rapidly after the Big Bang than previously thought. The emergence of this new theory follows the recent discovery that three giant galaxies, almost the size of the Milky Way, had formed during the universe’s first billion years.
They’re known as Red Monsters because they have a high dust content, and this gives them a distinct colouring when photographed by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the largest and most complex telescope ever launched into space.
Swinburne University of Technology’s Associate Professor Ivo Labbé said finding these large galaxies at such an early stage of the universe’s development is “akin to finding a toddler weighing 100kg”.
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Discovery raises questions about galaxy formation
Newer galaxies are known to form gradually. But the discovery shows the early universe could have been twice as efficient at building them.
It has been theorised that galaxies form after expanding matter reaches a critical density, forcing it to collapse. This process forms structures called dark matter halos which use gravity to draw in more matter, causing them to grow in size.
One of the goals of the JWST is to collect data to help scientists advance their understanding of how galaxies are formed. Labbé argues the discovery of three Red Monsters will raise new questions for galaxy formation theories.
“Current models fail to explain how it is possible star formation is so super-efficient, very early in the universe,” he said.
“The usual assumption is that exploding stars and supermassive black holes kill star formation, blowing out the candle. No doubt future Webb observations will provide us clues as to what we are missing.”
The new study has been published in the journal Nature.
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