The hypothetical first stars (population III) consisted mainly of hydrogen and helium. There were almost no other elements in the young universe. The chemical diversity of the universe increased only after the explosion of the first supernova. After all, without “heavy” elements, planets and the universe as we know them could not have formed.

In order to understand the properties of these stars and their supernovae, scientists have conducted many theoretical studies. We do not have the chance to see these objects directly because their “lifespan” is short. However, it is possible to detect the “chemical signatures” of supernovae. Astronomers are looking for them both in the Milky Way and in distant galaxies.

With the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers had the opportunity to study the physical properties of galaxies with a redshift greater than 10 towards the end of the “Cosmic Dawn” period (150-350 million years after the Cosmic Dawn). Big Bang).

Previously, scientists could only extrapolate data from observations of nearby objects. Astrophysicists can now directly observe early galaxies. First of all, of course, they are attracted to unusual objects. But there are also “ordinary” galaxies in the observations of “James Webb”.

Unfortunately, during the JADES survey, the telescope’s sensitivity was not sufficient to examine the emission lines in the spectrum and reveal the physical properties of these galaxies. Therefore, within the scope of the PID 3215 program, the telescope was established to be able to observe for more than 50 hours.

In a new study published Astronomy and Astrophysicsscientists presented the results of the first analysis of new spectral data of the GLASS-z12 galaxy. The important thing is that they found carbon in it and also detected weak oxygen and neon signals.

We see this galaxy as it was 350 million years after the Big Bang. According to one of the authors of the study, this is the furthest signal of the presence of a heavy element in the history of space observations.

To understand how these elements formed in the GLASS-z12 galaxy, scientists focused on the ratio of carbon to oxygen. According to calculations, the value turned out to be 0.15. This is higher than that of Type II supernovae and significantly higher than that of z = 6-9 red elimination galaxies.

This amount of carbon can be explained by the large number of stars in the last stage of evolution of the history of this galaxy. But only stars with a mass greater than three solar masses would manage to reach this stage, and their supernovae would not give off as much carbon.

The authors of the study considered other versions, but came to the conclusion that the most likely source of such a ratio of carbon and oxygen is supernovae from the first generation of hypothetical stars.

As astrophysicist Emma Chapman of Imperial College London explains, after the first stars the universe became “polluted” incredibly quickly. Therefore, it is very difficult to catch the moment when the first supernova exploded, but an excessive number of stars with heavier elements had not yet formed.

As a result, scientists stated that very long follow-ups were needed to obtain these results. Otherwise, it is impossible to distinguish the signals of such faint objects. The researchers hope that future large-scale sky surveys will allow more “red” candidates to be selected for such long-term spectroscopic observations.