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The Webb Telescope makes a surprising discovery that is overturning theories about the dawn of the universe

The Webb Telescope makes a surprising discovery that is overturning theories

Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to look back in time to the early days of the universe, and they noticed something unexpected.

The space observatory discovered six massive galaxies that existed between 500 million and 700 million years after the big bang that created the universe. The discovery is completely overturning existing theories about the origins of galaxies, according to a new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

"These objects are much more massive than expected," study co-author Joel Leja, assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State University, said in a statement. "We expected to find only small, young, infant galaxies at this point in time, but we have discovered galaxies as mature as our own in what was previously thought to be the dawn of the universe," he added.

The telescope surveys the universe in infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye, and is able to detect faint light from ancient stars and galaxies. By peering into the distant universe, the observatory can essentially see back in time to about 13.5 billion years ago. (Scientists have determined that the universe is about 13.7 billion years old.)

"The discovery that massive galaxy formation began extremely early in the history of the universe overturns what many of us had thought," Leja said.

The galaxies are so massive that they contradict 99% of models representing the early galaxies in the universe, meaning scientists have to rethink how galaxies formed and evolved. Current theory suggests that galaxies began as small clouds of stars and dust that grew over time.