POST Online Media Lite Edition



 

James Webb's 'too massive' galaxies may be even more massive

Christian Fernsby |
The first results from the James Webb Space Telescope have hinted at galaxies so early and so massive that they are in tension with our understanding of the formation of structure in the universe.

Article continues below




Various explanations have been proposed that may alleviate this tension. But now a new study from the Cosmic Dawn Center suggests an effect which has never before been studied at such early epochs, indicating that the galaxies may be even more massive.

If you have been following the first results from the James Webb Space Telescope, you have probably heard about the paramount issue with the observations of the earliest galaxies: They are too big.

From a few days after the release of the first images, and repeatedly through the coming months, new reports of ever-more distant galaxies appeared. Disturbingly, several of the galaxies seemed to be "too massive."

From our currently accepted concordance model of the structure and evolution of the universe, the so-called ΛCDM model, they simply shouldn't have had the time to form so many stars.

Although ΛCDM is not a holy indestructible grail, there are many reasons to wait claiming a paradigm shift: The measured epochs at which we see the galaxies could be underestimated.

Their stellar masses could be overestimated. Or we could just have been lucky and somehow have discovered the most massive of the galaxies at that time.

But now Clara Giménez Arteaga, Ph.D. student at the Cosmic Dawn Center, proposes an effect that could further increase the tension.

In essence, a galaxy's stellar mass is estimated by measuring the amount of light emitted by the galaxy, and calculating how many stars are needed to emit this amount. The usual approach is to consider the combined light from the whole galaxy.

However, taking a closer look at a sample of five galaxies, observed with James Webb, Giménez Arteaga found that if the galaxy is regarded not as one big blob of stars, but as an entity build up of multiple clumps, a different picture emerges.

"We used the standard procedure to calculate stellar masses from the images that James Webb has taken, but on a pixel-by-pixel basis rather than looking at the whole galaxy," says Giménez Arteaga.

"In principle, one might expect the results to be the same: Adding the light from all pixels and finding the total stellar mass, versus calculating the mass of each pixel and adding all individual stellar masses. But they're not."

In fact the inferred stellar masses now turned out to be up to ten times larger.

The figure below shows the five galaxies with their stellar masses determined by both ways. If the two different approaches agreed, all galaxies would lie along the slanted line named "The same." But they all lie above this line.

Giménez Arteaga explains, "Stellar populations are a mixture of small and faint stars on one hand, and bright, massive stars on the other hand. If we just look at the combined light, the bright stars will tend to completely outshine the faint stars, leaving them unnoticed. Our analysis shows that bright, star-forming clumps may dominate the total light, but the bulk of the mass is found in smaller stars."

Stellar mass is one of the main properties used to characterize a galaxy, and Giménez-Arteaga's result highlights the importance of being able to resolve the galaxies.

But for the most distant and faint ones, this is not always possible. The effect has been studied before, but only at much later epochs in the history of the universe.

The next step is therefore to look for signatures that does not require the high resolution, and which correlate with the "true" stellar mass.

"Other studies at much later epochs have also found this discrepancy. If we can determine how common and severe the effect is at earlier epochs, and quantify it, we will be closer to inferring robust stellar masses of distant galaxies, which is one of the main current challenges of studying galaxies in the early universe," concludes Clara Giménez Arteaga.

The study has just been published in The Astrophysical Journal.


What to read next

Discovering rare red spiral galaxy population from early universe with James Webb Space Telescope
NASA's James Webb telescope launches to see first galaxies
Black holes with ravenous appetites define Type I active galaxies

U.S.: Clipper system tracking eastward; heavy precipitation continues for northwest

 
A robust atmospheric river will continue to dump overly abundant moisture across the Pacific Northwest which in turn will keep the threat for excessive rainfall and flooding elevated through Thursday.
 
 

Latest

Calgary filled 5,000 potholes in November
Rochester, N.Y., USDA Wildlife Services to disperse winter crows
Poland seeks return of EU permits for Ukrainian haulers but Brussels opposes that
UK: DS Smith drivers delivering cardboard packaging striking over pay

NEWS

Second 48 hour railway strike in Belgium

18 percent of Made in China garments contain carcinogenic chemical
Brazil and Paraguay launch Operation DAKOVO to combat international arms trafficking
5.9 magnitude earthquake hits Philippine capital region
Snow covered Munich airport closed to traffic on Tuesday
Bosnia and Herzegovina Prosecutor Office welcomed largest sentence imposed for corruption so far
 

BUSINESS

Delaware offers tuition incentive to attract certified nurse assistants

Rhode Island AG Neronha files new claims in lawsuit against residential solar panel company for deceptive sales
Jordan: EUR 100 million EIB backing to tackle water scarcity through desalination and conveyance project
Netherlands: EIB signs €100 million loan for Limburg water infrastructure
Swiss nuclear power plants running out of staff
Kazakhstan signs deals for 3GW of wind power
 

Trending Now

Moscow residents to name baby panda born in Moscow Zoo

U.S.: Clipper system tracking eastward; heavy precipitation continues for northwest

Rochester, N.Y., USDA Wildlife Services to disperse winter crows

Calgary filled 5,000 potholes in November


POLITICS

New York Governor Hochul announces start of project to modernize Ogdensburg International Airport

President Lula in Berlin for first talks between Brazil and Germany in eight years
Greece cut coal use by over 80%
Sourth Dakota Governor Noem supports Congressman Gallagher's bill protecting U.S. farmland from China
Slovakia to extend grain embargo, expand list of banned agricultural products from Ukraine
Brazil to join OPEC+ in 2024
 

Today We Recommend

18 percent of Made in China garments contain carcinogenic chemical


Highlights 

Alaska Airlines to acquire Hawaiian Airlines for $1.9 billion

Roche to acquire Carmot Therapeutics for $2.7 billion

Huge cantaloupes recall after U.S. Salmonella outbreak


COMPANIES

UK: Iceland warehouse workers to walk out as South West face store shortages

AG Ferguson on federal complaint against Meta: Zuckerberg new Facbook is dangerous for young people
Oxford Biomedica signs agreement to acquire ABL Europe from Institut Mérieux
Atlas Copco signs deal to acquire Kracht
Škoda begins production of fourth generation Superb at Bratislava plant
Airbus begins production of Galileo G2 satellites in Germany
 

CAREERS

Siemens Healthineers: Vivek Kanade new head for Middle East and Africa operations

Liquid Intelligent Technologies appoints Lerato Dipuo Phueginia Pule as CFO
PwC selects Mohamed Kande as next global chair
Billerud appoints Ivar Vatne as CEO
New Pacific Metals appoints two to board
Pyxis Oncology appoints Ken Kobayashi as chief medical officer
 

ECONOMY

West Virginia yearly revenue collections $286.2 million ahead of estimate

Austrian economy slips into recession
Ireland in recession as personal consumer spending increased
Brazil jobless rate falls to 7.6 pct
Missouri Governor Parson announced state’s Consensus Revenue Estimate
Canadian GDP declines in Q3
 

EARNINGS

Dell Technologies revenue $22.3 billion

American Outdoor Brands Q2 sales $57.9 million
Marvell Technology Q3 revenue $1.419 billion
BMO Financial Q4 income $1,617 million
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store profit $5.46 million
Kroger Q3 earnings to $646 million
 

OP-ED

Micromanaging is the worst enemy of efficiency and teamwork

Niger set to monetize massive gas reserves through Saharan natural gas pipeline
Putting the brakes on EV folly that choked the market
Oil discovery in Kavango Basin may mean huge benefits for Namibians
Cape Town and Dubai battle over Africa's energy future
Is America going to lose its superpower status?
 

AGRIFISH

France puts country on high alert for bird flu

Kentucky names new Deputy State Veterinarian
New York: $4.25 million for more than two dozen meat businesses
Hong Kong suspends import of poultry meat and products from areas in Belgium and Germany
Philippines joins Blue Carbon Action Partnership to strengthen coastal ecosystems
Thailand aims to export more bananas
 

LEADERSHIP

Happy workforce is productive workforce, says study

LinkedIn can trigger feelings of imposter syndrome
Study suggests corporate culture thwarts efforts to hire innovative candidates
Workplace wellness policies could soften effects of workaholism
Customers willing to wait longer for delivery when they shop in store showroom
Internal crowdfunding fosters innovation and engages employees
 

CRIME

Swiss bank Banque Pictet admits to conspiring with U.S. taxpayers to hide assets and income in offshore accounts

FINRA fines BofA Securities $24 million for treasuries spoofing and related supervisory failures
BNP Paribas subsidiary fined maximum amount over Swiss franc loans
Commission fines Rabobank €26.6 million over Euro-denominated bonds trading cartel
Shell Energy fined £1.4m by Ofcom for consumer protection breaches
Italy's antitrust agency fines energy companies for aggressive billing
 

Magazine

TRAVEL

Sai Kung Hoi Arts Festival returns to Hong Kong until Janury 14

Go on a sleigh ride in Estonia Varbola stronghold
Bora Bora, first born paradise in French Polynesia
Mushrooms of all kinds will be featured at Autumn Bio Festival in Portugal
Festive winter fun in and around Hannover
Premier Australian motoring event returns this weekend
 

SEA, LAND, AIR

Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban come with new look

Chinese HiPhi revealed electric sedan, too bad it can't be trusted
New 2025 Ram 1500, Hurricane 3L and 420 horsepower
Gulfstream G700 business jet to fly 14,353 kilometers
Beneteau First, slender mainsail and generously sized foresails
Porsche launches speedboat with 400 kW
 

DESIGN

Hollywood Regency, the style that's always in

Filippo Loreti, premium Italian timepieces for adventurous gentlemen
Creative furniture that redefines the meaning of sofa
Perfect ovens for perfect pizza at home
Designer radiators, focal point that heats your room
What to do and what not to do when designing your living room
 

GADGETS

Rode NT1 5th Generation, the ultimate studio microphone

Motorola g family smartphones bring something for everyone
Focal Shape 65 monitor, loudspeakers for home or professional studio
NAD C 268 stereo power amplifier, multipurpose workhorse
DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/Reference, €90,000 for ultimate sound
Motorola razr, foldable phone that allows you to live your real life
 

HEALTH

Researchers crack cellular code on protein folding offering hope for many new therapeutic avenues

Huge cantaloupes recall after U.S. Salmonella outbreak
Pathogens use force to breach immune defenses
Governor Moore announces expanded access to contraceptive care across Maryland
California Governor Newsom announces new legislation to prevent illicit use and trafficking of xylazine
Argentina records hundreds of Trichinella cases
 

MEANTIME

France to donate € 500 million to Brazil's Amazon Fund

New deep space radar will transform UK security
Massive planet too big for its sun pushes astronomers to rethink exoplanet formation
Vera Rubin telescope will generate mind boggling amount of data
Russia launches cargo spacecraft to International Space Station with equipment and gifts
Earth experiences second geomagnetic storm in six days