James Webb Telescope Detects the Earliest Known Galaxy

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has detected what is currently considered the earliest known galaxy, situated approximately 13.53 billion light years away from Earth. This discovery is significant because it allows astronomers to study the universe as it existed shortly after the Big Bang. The vast distance means that the light from this galaxy has taken 13.53 billion years to reach Earth, offering a glimpse into the universe's infancy. Observing such distant objects is possible because the speed of light is finite, so astronomers effectively look back in time as they observe objects farther away. For context, sunlight takes about eight minutes to travel from the Sun to Earth. The identification of this ancient galaxy by JWST, which was launched in December 2021, demonstrates the telescope's advanced capabilities in observing the early universe and contributes to our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution.