A recently quenched galaxy 700 million years after the Big Bang. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38447669/)

These scientists wanted to learn more about how galaxies in the early universe go through periods of rapid star formation and then suddenly stop forming stars. They knew that in our nearby galaxies, the ones close to us, there are two main types: ones that are actively forming stars and ones that are not. But they were curious about what happens in galaxies that are very far away and very old.

To find out, they used a powerful telescope called the James Webb Space Telescope to look at a galaxy that existed when the universe was only 700 million years old. This galaxy had a very short period of making lots of stars, and then it stopped suddenly. They found that this galaxy was not like the ones we see near us, as it did not have any signs of new stars being formed.

By studying this galaxy, the scientists hope to understand better how galaxies in the early universe change over time and why some of them stop making stars so quickly. This information can help them create better models of how galaxies form and evolve throughout the history of the universe.

Looser TJ., D'Eugenio F., Maiolino R., Witstok J., Sandles L., Curtis-Lake E., Chevallard J., Tacchella S., Johnson BD., Baker WM., Suess KA., Carniani S., Ferruit P., Arribas S., Bonaventura N., Bunker AJ., Cameron AJ., Charlot S., Curti M., de Graaff A., Maseda MV., Rawle T., Rix HW., Del Pino BR., Smit R., Ubler H., Willott C., Alberts S., Egami E., Eisenstein DJ., Endsley R., Hausen R., Rieke M., Robertson B., Shivaei I., Williams CC., Boyett K., Chen Z., Ji Z., Jones GC., Kumari N., Nelson E., Perna M., Saxena A., Scholtz J. A recently quenched galaxy 700 million years after the Big Bang. Nature. 2024 Mar 6. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07227-0.