NASA has officially acknowledged the identification of the most distant structure in the universe, a discovery made last year using the James Webb Space Telescope. During its initial deep field image capture, the Webb Telescope unveiled a multitude of galaxies in far-off regions.
Unexpectedly, galaxies emerged from the vastness of time and space, challenging our preconceptions about the universe and casting doubt on the accuracy of our cosmic model. This revelation wasn't limited to a few galaxies; the Webb telescope detected hundreds of them.
Austin astronomer Steven Finkelstein, part of the discovery team, named one of these galaxies Maisie's galaxy in honor of his daughter, as they spotted it on her birthday. Initially believed to have formed shortly after the big bang, approximately 290 million years post-Big Bang in cosmic timescales, further analysis with advanced equipment revealed it to be about 100 million years older.
Despite the adjustment, Maisie's galaxy retains its distinction as the oldest galaxy ever observed, having taken shape a mere 390 million years after the Big Bang. This designation was confirmed through spectroscopic analysis conducted by the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science Survey using the JWST's Near InfraRed Spectrograph.
However, the current record holder for the oldest observed galaxy may not hold that title for much longer.