Discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the galaxy has a staggering redshift of 14.32, breaking previous records for the most distant galaxy ever observed by humans.

The study using the device was led by astronomers Stefano Carniani of the Superior Normal School in Italy and Kevin Heinlein of the University of Arizona. NIRSpec at JWST for about ten hours in January 2024. The processed spectra provided irrefutable evidence of the galaxy’s extraordinary age and distance.

Using spectral analysis, the team confirmed the distance of JADES-GS-z14-0 and identified it as the oldest galaxy in observation history.

What we know about the oldest galaxy in the universe

JADES-GS-z14-0 spans at least 1,600 light-years and its light comes mostly from young stars, not from the central supermassive black hole.

The galaxy has a mass of several hundred million solar masses, about 10% of the mass of the Milky Way. Although it may seem relatively small, it is an extraordinary mass considering the early stages of the universe’s development, when such large and advanced galaxies were not expected to exist.

JWST’s observations provided a glimpse into a time when the universe was covered in a fog of atomic hydrogen that scattered visible light and prevented deep exploration of time.

The results of the JADES-GS-z14-0 study challenge modern scientific ideas and show that the dynamics of the evolution of stars and galaxies significantly exceed theoretical expectations.

The presence of significant amounts of dust and heavy elements in the galaxy suggests that many generations of heavy stars have existed and died, which seems impossible so soon after the Big Bang.