Jordanian Astronomical Society: Observing star clusters inside a galaxy in the early universe for the first time

Weather of Arabia - Dr. said. Ammar Al-Sakkji, President of the Jordanian Astronomical Society, said that understanding how stars and galaxies form and evolve is one of the biggest challenges facing astrophysics. Using the results of analyzing images from the James Webb Space Telescope, a group of researchers at Stockholm University were able, for the first time, to provide new insights into the galaxy SPT0615-JD, as its light was analyzed. 460 million years after the Big Bang, these findings were revealed using "gravitational lensing" methods, where five star clusters were studied in detail.

The era of reionization occurred during the first billion years after the Big Bang, when the universe changed from neutral hydrogen gas to ionized matter, and it is believed that galaxies that formed in the early stages of the universe led this change.

The techniques used in "gravitational lensing", which works to "bend light" thanks to strong gravity, are results and predictions of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. These techniques allowed the James Webb Space Telescope to image this early galaxy, look back in time billions of years, and observe details. And the components of distant galaxies.

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What distinguishes these star clusters?

This research was published in the prestigious journal Nature yesterday, Sunday, June 24, 2024. This achievement could not have been accomplished without the tremendous technologies available in the unique James Webb Space Telescope, especially the telescope’s “near-infrared” camera. It was found that these star clusters are characterized by dense Three times more than typical young clusters formed over the past 50 million years, and they make up 60% of the galaxy's total light.

Discovering star clusters and enhancing knowledge of the evolution of early galaxies

But big and puzzling questions remain: when and where? How were the spherical or closed star clusters found in local galaxies formed? The importance of this discovery has opened a unique window on the evolution of early galaxies and the places where spherical clusters form, as it is possible that these clusters will develop into spherical clusters over time, and as future research continues in this direction. In particular, spectroscopic analysis will enable us to create spatial maps of star formation and study ionization phenomena throughout the galaxy.

In general, the results of the iconic James Webb Space Telescope images have brought about a change in our understanding of the physics of galaxy formation, which may modify current cosmological models and models of star and galaxy formation. There is a trend in the astronomical scientific community, according to the ISSI 2024 Scientific Workshop, where dozens of researchers gathered last month. At the Institute of Space Sciences in Bern, Switzerland, the research presented in this workshop focused on reformulating the history of the universe, especially the first billion years, based on the recent results of the James Webb Space Telescope, and that university curricula in astronomy that talk about the early history of the universe may be revised. And updated or changed based on the tremendous discoveries of this telescope.

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Jordanian Astronomical Society