A team of astrophysicists led by the University of Colorado at Boulder has revealed new details about mysterious galaxies known as Ultra Red Flattened Objects (UFOs), thanks to observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Previously invisible to the Hubble telescope, these extremely massive and red galaxies emit very little visible light, making them virtually invisible to most telescopes.

“JWST allows us to see a galaxy like we’ve never been able to see before.”

UFO galaxies were first discovered by CU Boulder researchers in JWST images. They appear red because most of their light is infrared, and the amount of visible light they emit is at the limit of what the human eye can see. The infrared collector James Webb Telescope is ideal for detecting such objects.

“Before the launch of JWST, we thought we would find very distant galaxies. But we thought we already had a pretty good understanding of all the types of galaxies that are closer to us.” said Gibson.

The team detected 56 UFO galaxies in the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES) images. These galaxies contain much more dust than the Milky Way, blocking about 50 times the original light.

“We have large galaxies, like the Milky Way, floating through space that are completely invisible to us,” said study co-author Erika Nelson, an assistant professor of astrophysics at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Researchers used computer simulations to understand how UFO galaxies form. Calculations show that they may be disk-shaped, similar to the Milky Way. However, it remains unclear how these galaxies became so dusty.

A study published in the Astrophysical Journal sheds light on some strange galaxies and raises more questions than answers. New data from JWST allows astrophysicists to learn more about how galaxies grow and form new stars over time.