The James Webb Space Telescope has captured red dots that scientists theorize could change the way we understand galaxies. This is one of the new mysteries that space offers us.
There are many mysteries about him universe that humanity still cannot understand and as technology advances, it is common to think that we are on the verge of solving them. But that’s not always the case, because sometimes the most advanced tools can add even more puzzles to science.
This is what happened with the objects recently detected by the James Webb Space Telescope and this shocked scientists: These are red dots, so called because of the way they are visible in the images, which are believed to be objects that formed 12 billion years ago, very shortly after the Big Bang.
The problem is that Researchers have no idea what they are or why they formed.
And they had never been detected before, which is why a wide scientific debate was generated about their origin, their usefulness and their usefulness. if its presence in space can change or upset everything we know today about galaxies.
What are the red dots detected by the James Webb Space Telescope
Thanks to the James Webb telescope, Scientists saw “little red dots” that they had never noticed before.
That color they would have acquired it because the interaction between brightness and instrument, as explained in BBC World .
Furthermore, as explained Chilean astronomer Mario Hamuy on the same support, apparently “They come from so far away that they seem very weak.”
“They have typical sizes of around 3,000 light years in diameter, or 3% of the diameter of the Milky Way for example, and they have a very red color, “This is because the light they emit has been strongly reddened by the presence of dust grains in their environment.”
However, No one could say for sure what they were seeing.
According to one of the theories, due to the characteristics that these points possess, BBC World they assured that These could be “small galaxies containing billions of stars”.
The second theory suggests that These could be galaxies harboring giant black holes “with a formation that had not been observed in the closest known galaxies until now.”
The greatest mystery of these objects is that they change as they are observed: astrophysicist Fabio Pacucci of the Smithsonian Institution of the United States, he declared to the BBC that dots seem to be “masters of disguise”.
They compared them to mimic octopuses, the species that changes the color and shape of other animals to camouflage themselves in the sea.
“All light sources in the universe change their appearance when you observe them in different windows of the electromagnetic spectrum. The same way as if you took an image of your hand with x-rays or optical light. In the first case you will see the bones of the hand and in the second you will see the skin. » explained Hamuy.
That’s to say, The different ways the red dots are visible have scientists sharing opinions on what they may be: a small galaxy full of stars or supermassive black holes.
What they do know is that they existed billions of years ago, since the James Webb Telescope is documenting light that traveled shortly after the Big Bang through space.
“We don’t usually see these types of galaxies in our nearby universe. So this is something that appeared early on, lasted for a while, and we’re not seeing now. » said the NASA instrument engineer, Begoña Vila At BBC.
However, “as soon as we started observing them, we first thought that they were other types of objects. But now we know they’re galaxies and that’s super exciting for everyone. »
Why red dots could challenge what we know so far about galaxies
Whichever theory wins, the discovery of red dots in space calls into question the models built by scientists. in time to explain where galaxies come from.
And if the theory that it houses billions of stars were true, researchers wouldn’t know how to explain it.
“Part of what is surprising about these objects is that it is not clear how they could have so many stars, a number perhaps similar to those found in the Milky Way, in such a small space, astronomically speaking. How so many stars formed so quickly is a question.
To get a better idea, astrophysicist Pacucci explained that It’s as if the entire population of China was placed in one room. This shows how extreme the positioning of so many stars in a small galaxy would be.
The current models that scientists use to explain galaxy formation could be wrong if this is the case, since They would indicate that “they need modifications” to give rise to this new type of galaxy.
“What’s happening is that the models we’ve had so far have been based on the data we know and reflect what we’ve known so far. But it is clear that this primitive universe holds surprises and that is what Webb was designed for. » added the NASA expert.
Today, scientists are studying and experimenting with new models and instruments to understand red dots and their particular change in appearance.
In the years to come, we could have an answer to this new mystery that the universe offers us. And although its presence could change the fundamental understanding of galaxies, Scientists do not see this as a daunting task, but rather as a new opportunity to better understand the history of the universe.
Source: Latercera
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.