Danish Scientists unveil oldest galaxy origins

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have used a new method to observe the formation of three of the universe’s earliest galaxies over 13 billion years ago. This breakthrough brings us closer to understanding the origins of the universe and our existence, says Assistant Professor Kasper Elm Heintz from the Cosmic Dawn Center Niels Bohr Institute. The measurements were made using the James Webb Space Telescope, which detected gas coalescing and flowing towards a developing minigalaxy. Previously, scientists did not believe such measurements were possible due to the required sensitivity. The findings estimate the galaxies formed approximately 400-600 million years post-Big Bang, following the formation of the first stars and their subsequent assembly into galaxies. The researchers aim to explore even more distant galaxies, having already started to survey nearly 500. The study, considered a sensation by the University of Copenhagen, has been published in Science and funded by Danish research foundations.