The James Webb Telescope, pushed to its limits, discovers these incredibly ancient structures ????

Astronomers may have discovered the oldest objects ever observed by pushing the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to its limits. These incredibly distant structures date back only 200 million years after the Big Banga period whenUniverse was still young and in full transformation.

These galaxies, detected as part of the GLIMPSE program, mark an important milestone. Their light traveled for 13.6 billion years to reach us. Due to the expansion of the Universe, they are now approximately 34 billion light years away, setting a new record for potential distance.

These galaxies are called “high redshift” or “high z” (redshift) due to a phenomenon by which light is stretched with the expansion of the Universe. The higher the redshift, the older and more distant the galaxy. These new candidates, with redshifts between z=16 and z=18, surpass previous records.

To observe these extremely faint galaxies, the researchers used a “gravitational lens.” This phenomenon, predicted by Einstein, amplifies the light of distant galaxies thanks to the curvature effect of space-time by galaxies lovers massive, like the Abell S1063 cluster.

Despite these powerful tools, understanding these galaxies remains difficult. They are smaller and less luminous than those discovered previously. Scientists are now seeking to confirm their nature through spectral analyses, which could provide clues to their composition and formation.

These discoveries could revolutionize our vision of the early Universe. According to the researchers, forming such bright galaxies in such a short time after the Big Bang requires particularly intense processes, which are still poorly understood.

Data from the GLIMPSE project, obtained in just 150 hours d’observationdemonstrate the extraordinary potential of telescope Webb. But seeing even further back in time would require colossal efforts, with objects even fainter and more difficult to detect.

For now, if these galaxies are confirmed, they will help answer fundamental questions about the early history of the Universe. The researchers are confident that other important discoveries will enrich this program.