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Observations by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope are upending the understanding of the early universe, indicating the presence of large and mature but remarkably compact galaxies teeming with stars far sooner than scientists had considered possible.

Astronomers said data obtained by the telescope reveals what appear to be six big galaxies as mature as our Milky Way existing about 540 million to 770 million years after the explosive Big Bang that kicked off the universe 13.8 billion years ago. The universe was roughly 3 percent of its current age at the time.

These galaxies, one of which appears to have a mass rivaling our Milky Way but 30 times more densely packed, seem to differ in fundamental ways from those populating the universe today.

“Oh, they are radically different — truly bizarre creatures,” said astrophysicist Ivo Labbe of Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, lead author of the study published in the journal Nature. “If the Milky Way were a regular-sized average adult, say about 5 feet, 9 inch (1.75 meters) and 160 pounds (70 kg), these would be 1-year-old babies weighing about the same but standing just under 3 inches (7 cm) tall. The early universe is a freak show.”

Webb was launched in 2021 and began collecting data last year. The findings were based upon the first dataset released by NASA last July from Webb, a telescope boasting infrared-sensing instruments able to detect light from the most ancient stars and galaxies.

“This is an astounding discovery and unexpected. We thought that galaxies form over much longer periods of time,” said Penn State astrophysicist and study co-author Joel Leja. “No one expected to find these. These galaxy candidates are simply too evolved for our expectations. They seem to have evolved faster than allowed by our standard models.”

Leja called them galaxy candidates because further observations are needed to confirm that they all are galaxies rather than some other source of light like a supermassive black hole.

“The exciting part is that even if only some turn out to be massive galaxies, these things are so massive that they alone would upend our measurements of the total mass in stars at this time. It would suggest 10 to 100 times more mass in stars existing at this epoch than expected and would imply that galaxies form way, way faster in the universe than anyone thought.”

The galaxies appear to contain mass equivalent to 10 billion to 100 billion times that of our sun. The latter figure is similar to the Milky Way’s mass.

The journey to galaxy formation following the Big Bang apparently hinged on mysterious material called dark matter that is invisible to us but is known to exist because of the gravitational influence it exerts on normal matter.

“The leading theory is that an ocean of dark matter filled the early universe after the Big Bang,” Labbe said.

“This dark matter — we don’t know what it is actually is — started out really smooth, with only the tiniest of ripples. These ripples grew over time due to gravity and eventually the dark matter started to collect in concentrated clumps, dragging hydrogen gas along for the ride. It’s that hydrogen gas that will eventually turn into stars. Clumps of dark matter, gas and stars is what we call a galaxy,” Labbe added.

Astronomers suspect the first stars began forming 100 million to 200 million years after the Big Bang, each perhaps 1,000 more massive than our sun but much shorter-lived.

“Their explosion set off the chain of events that formed subsequent generations of stars,” Labbe said.

“Webb continuous to amaze and surprise us,” Labbe added. “So yes, the early universe was a lot richer and lot more diverse — monsters and dragons. And the curtain is still being lifted.”

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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Europa Clipper Captures Stunning Infrared Image of Mars

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May 17, 2025

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Europa Clipper Captures Stunning Infrared Image of Mars

NASA’s Europa Clipper Spacecraft took a haunting infrared portrait of Mars flyby during its journey to Jupiter’s icy moon Europa on March 1, 2025. The spacecraft used the planet’s gravity to change the speed and orbit for the next phase of its long interplanetary journey, reaching 550 miles above the Martian surface. This encounter allowed the team to test E-THEMIS, an instrument known as a thermal imager which is designed to study the surface of Europa fr potential life signs.

Mars Flyby Serves as Key Instrument Calibration

According to report by NASA , Mars flyby has been used as a critical instrument calibration moment for Europa Clipper. E-THEMIS, at its 18-minute duration, took 1000 greyscale snapshots of infrared, started reaching Earth on May 5. On comparison of this recent dataset with thermal maps from the Mars Odyssey Orbiter for verifying the accuracy of the imager. Since Odessey was observing Mars from 2012, it provided a rich thermal standard to compare.

Infrared Imaging to Detect Geologic Activity on Europa

Phil Christensen investigated the data and made sure the images taken by E-THEMIS match with the Thermal data of Mars mapped twenty years ago. E-THEMIS detects infrared light and enables scientists to map the variation of the temperature across the planetary surface.
When Clipper reaches Europa, the instrument uses this potential to locate the hotspots, connected to the recent geologic activity under the icy crust of Jupiter’s moon. This signals the search for extraterrestrial life.

Tracing Europa’s Subsurface Ocean with Heat Signatures

E-THEMIS imaging is helpful to find the hidden ocean of Europa, which is situated closest to the surface. The ridges and fractures of the icy moon are the result of the oceanic forces. The warm temperature in such areas could signal previous eruptions. Further, it can also lead to areas where the middle surface ocean moves upward.

Future Flyby Mission Plans

For the first time in space, this Mars flyby tested the radar instrument, too. The test went smoothly as per the data, however, scientists are still analysing the results. Another Clipper will do an Earth flyby in 2026, before landing at Jupiter in April 2030 to explore the habitat potential.

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SpaceX Fires Up Starship Upper Stage for Ninth Test Flight in Static Fire Trial

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May 15, 2025

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SpaceX Fires Up Starship Upper Stage for Ninth Test Flight in Static Fire Trial

SpaceX’s next-generation Starship spacecraft has fired up in another test as the company prepares for its ninth flight. Starship conducted a full-duration static fire of its upper stage at the Starbase facility in South Texas on May 12th. The 171-foot-tall (52-metre) vehicle fired all six of its mighty Raptor engines for the full-duration burn, which took about 60 seconds. This marked the third such static fire for this specific ship, which is now undergoing final checks. SpaceX shared video and images of the trial in a post on X the following day.

Starship Nears Ninth Launch as SpaceX Advances Toward Mars-Ready Reusability

As per a Space.com report, the static fire is one of the last key milestones before the vehicle’s upcoming launch, though no date has yet been announced. The booster assigned to Flight 9 has already conducted a static fire test, sparking talk it may only be weeks from flight. Fully stacked, Starship stands 403.5 feet, making it the most powerful rocket system ever assembled. Its super-heavy booster and ship upper stage are intended for full reuse, a requirement for voyages to the moon, Mars, and beyond.

Starship has completed eight test flights to date, two of them in 2025. Though the missions themselves blasted off without a hitch, the ship’s upper stage flubbed both times shortly after arriving in space. During those flights, Super Heavy managed to fly back to Starbase and land with the aid of its giant launch tower’s “chopstick” arms in a dramatic manoeuvre that was one of a kind for SpaceX’s rocket-catching system. But both times the ship exploded less than 10 minutes after launch, a failure that has raised concerns about the stability of that upper stage.

SpaceX Starship, the Mars colonisation spacecraft, has now completed more than one full static fire test run, and it is expected to be a fully reusable spacecraft after the next test flight. Until then, space watchers will have to keep waiting for progress at Starbase. The ninth launch of this giant vehicle is probably not too far off if SpaceX continues to evolve and test at the pace they are going.

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Hikers Stumble Upon 600 Gold Coins in Czech Forest Near Polish Border

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May 15, 2025

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Hikers Stumble Upon 600 Gold Coins in Czech Forest Near Polish Border

Two hikers accidentally discovered a treasure trove in Czech Republic . While taking a stroll in the forests surrounding Zvičina Hill in the Krkonoše Mountains near Poland’s border, they spotted an aluminium can and an iron box protruding slightly above the surface in a stone mound. The containers contained about 600 gold coins and a stunning assortment of gold artifacts. Discovery of this treasure worth more than $340,000 has drawn attention of researchers, arising questions about both the origin of the coins and how did they end up in such a remote location.

Tracing the origin of coins

According to the report by Vojtěch Brádle, a numismatist from the Museum of Eastern Bohemia, the majority of the coins were minted between 1808 and 1915. They originate from the Austria-Hungarian Empire, particularly under the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph I. Some of the coins feature countermarks minted in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenians after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The 598 coins cover a broad historical period, containing currency from France, Belgium, the Ottoman Empire, and Russia too. The range of provenances makes it difficult to track how the coins got to where they were, or just why they were stashed away at all. “It is hard to say whether it was Czech, German, or Jewish gold,” said Petr Grulich, director of the Museum of Eastern Bohemia, according to Dailymail.

Theories about the hiding place

There are several theories and speculation about how these coins and artifacts were hidden in such a remote location. One theory suggests that the items were concealed during Nazi Germany’s occupation of Czechoslovakia.

Following the Munich Agreement of 1938, large numbers of Jews and Czechs fled their homes in the annexed Sudetenland to escape persecution. Some historians believe that the treasure was buried during this time in an effort to protect it from the invading Nazi forces.

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