(CN) — It’s the third most abundant element in the universe behind hydrogen and helium, but the presence of oxygen outside the Milky Way can never be assumed. However, using powerful telescopes and scientific analysis of the light that is returned, oxygen and other elements can be detected.
According to studies published by two separate teams of scientists Thursday, oxygen was recently detected on the most distant confirmed galaxy in the universe, JADES-GS-z14-0.
Reportedly, the discovery is causing astronomers to reconsider how quickly galaxies may have formed in the early universe, a time reaching back roughly 13.8 billion years.
Stefano Carniani, who led an Italian team in a study published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, said in a statement that he was “astonished” by the results.
“They opened a new view on the first phases of galaxy evolution,” Carniani said. “The evidence that a galaxy is already mature in the infant universe raises questions about when and how galaxies formed.”
Previously, astronomers believed the universe was too young then to have galaxies ripe with heavier elements like oxygen. But scientists discovered JADES-GS-z14-0 has about 10 times more heavy elements than expected, a sign of early star evolution and the presence of oxygen.
JADES-GS-z14-0 was discovered by scientists in 2024 using the James Webb Space Telescope. Afterward, researchers in the high desert of Chile employed the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, or ALMA, to determine it was the most distant known galaxy and among the oldest — corresponding to a time less than 300 million years after the Big Bang.
The galaxy is so far from Earth, the light observed by humans is estimated to be 13.4 billion years old. The ALMA facility is also capable of analyzing a galaxy’s light spectrum to find clues about the presence of certain gases in the atmosphere.
ALMA’s light analysis can also yield data about temperature, density and motion of a star or galaxy, according to the European Southern Observatory, a partner in the project.
Sander Schouws, a PhD candidate and first author of a simultaneous but separate Dutch-led study published in The Astrophysical Journal offered this metaphor: “It is like finding an adolescent where you would only expect babies.”
“The results show the galaxy has formed very rapidly and is also maturing rapidly, adding to a growing body of evidence that the formation of galaxies happens much faster than was expected,” Schouws added.
Gergö Popping, an ESO astronomer at the European ALMA Regional Centre, said he was surprised by the findings and offered more context.
“It suggests galaxies can form more rapidly after the Big Bang than had previously been thought,” Popping said, expressing support for ALMA’s ability to enable further research into early space.