Webb Uncovers Most Distant Known Galaxy – “Most Significant Extragalactic Discovery to Date”

Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have discovered the earliest and most distant galaxies known, dating back to just 300 million years after the Big Bang, a major milestone in understanding the universe’s early stages.

An international team of astronomers announced the discovery of the two earliest and most distant galaxies yet confirmed, dating back to only 300 million years after the Big Bang. This significant finding, achieved with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), marks a major milestone in the study of the early universe. These galaxies were discovered by the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES) team, co-led by UC Santa Cruz astronomer Brant Robertson.

“This discovery is completely unanticipated and is likely to be seen as the most significant extragalactic discovery with JWST to date,” said Robertson, an astronomy and astrophysics professor who sits on the JADES steering committee. He is the lead author on the first of three papers reporting various aspects of the discovery.