You might recall the SMACS deepfield image from the first set of images released by JWST, where it showcased gravitational lensing in stunning detail.
Recently, a new deep-field image has been released, accompanied by a scientific paper. Let's take a fast overview of this new image and paper to ponder its key findings.
So, as of today, JWST has produced mutiple notable deep field images: Webb's SMACS Deep Field and the recent one during the JADES mission.
To clarify the distinction between the first and latest deep-field image...
First Deep Field (SMACS 0723):
Release Date: July 2022.
Context: This was part of the Early Release Observations (ERO) designed to demonstrate JWST's capabilities.
Focus: The image showcased gravitational lensing, where the massive galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 magnified and distorted the light from galaxies behind it, allowing astronomers to observe some of the most distant galaxies ever seen.
Not Part of JADES: This image was not associated with the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES).
Latest Deep Field (JADES):
Release Date: June 2024-ongoing. This deep-field observation is part of the ongoing JADES program.
Context: The JADES program is a comprehensive, long-term survey aimed at exploring the first billion years of cosmic history.
Focus: This deep-field image was particularly important for studying the distant galaxy GN-z11, one of the most distant known galaxies. The observations provided insights into early galaxy formation, supermassive black holes, and pristine gas clumps from the early universe.
Information online can be sparse or unclear, but these are the key differences between the two images.
Fast Overview
The latest deep-field image from JWST is associated with the GOODS (Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey) fields, specifically focusing on the GOODS-North region.
The primary focus of this observation was to study the distant galaxy GN-z11, one of the most distant galaxies known, which existed just 430 million years after the Big Bang.
This survey is significant as it systematically searched for transients, resulting in significant discoveries, including supernovae and other cosmic phenomena.
Discovery of Transients
The survey detected 79 transient events, which are temporary changes in brightness in the sky.
Most of these transients are likely supernovae.
High Redshift Discoveries:
The transients detected span a wide range of redshifts, with some occurring at z > 4.
So, these are incredibly distant, and their light has taken billions of years to reach us, providing a glimpse into the universe when it was very young. These observations help us understand the rate of star formation and supernovae in the early universe.
Astrophysicists have a particular interest in Type Ia supernovae because these exploding stars are known for their consistent brightness, making them crucial tools for measuring vast cosmic distances and calculating the universe's expansion rate.
Extreme Redshift
The research team identified a Type Ia supernova at a redshift of 2.9, meaning its light has been traveling to us for 11.5 billion years, dating back to when the universe was just 2.3 billion years old. This discovery surpasses the previous record for a spectroscopically confirmed Type Ia supernova, which had a redshift of 1.95, observed when the universe was 3.4 billion years old.
Understanding whether Type Ia supernovae maintain the same intrinsic brightness at high redshifts is critically important. If their brightness varies with distance, it would put into question their reliability as standard candles for measuring the expansion rate of the universe.
So, scientists are eager to study these distant supernovae to ensure that our measurements of cosmic expansion remain accurate.
And cosmic expansion, as you may, is one of the key pillars supporting the Big Bang, so getting accurate measurements is a key goal for this JADES mission.
Peering back to a younger universe
In the past, researchers used Hubble to observe supernovae from a time when the universe was in its "young adult" phase. Now, with the JADES program, scientists are able to detect supernovae from much earlier periods, when the universe was in its "teen" or even "pre-teen" stages. Looking ahead, they hope to push these observations even further back in time, aiming to explore supernovae from the universe's "toddler" or "infant" phases, providing an even deeper understanding of the early cosmic history.
This research offers a fascinating glimpse into the kinds of explosive events that were occurring when the universe was in its infancy and shows the potential of JWST to reveal even more about these distant and brief cosmic events.
Redshift That Supports Big Bang
Scientist Stephen C Meyer has talked about so called "uber" redshift, which is an even more extreme redshift:
"If the universe is expanding from a Big Bang, light from the most distant galaxies should be extremely stretched out or “uber” red shifted. Astronomers calculate that such light would fall outside the visible spectrum and into the longer wavelength infrared range.
But detecting long wavelength infrared radiation requires special equipment — thus, NASA’s decision to build a telescope, the James Webb, capable of detecting such radiation.
What does this have to do with cosmic origins?
If the JWST were to detect “uber” red shifted radiation coming from extremely ancient, distant galaxies, that would provide additional confirmation that the universe has expanded as much as the Big Bang theory predicts.
So has the JWST detected such radiation? It has. In fact, there would be no extremely distant galaxies to analyze had the JWST not detected long wavelength infrared radiation coming from them. Remember the JWST was specifically designed to detect such infrared radiation.
Thus, the fact that it has been able to produce images of extremely distant galaxies shows that it has collected the kind of radiation astronomers would expect if the universe is expanding as the Big Bang theory affirms."
Wrap-up.
Studying high-redshift galaxies to understand the early universe is a core part of the JADES mission. These observations not only provide insights into the formation and evolution of the first galaxies but also offer valuable evidence indirectly supporting the Big Bang theory and the overall model of an expanding universe.
This is just one aspect of the JADES mission—there's much more to explore. See you soon.
Read the Full Paper
For those interested in digging deeper into the research, you have two options:
Download to Device: You can download the full paper to your device via button below
View Online: Alternatively, you can view the original paper directly on arXiv through the following link: View on arXiv 2406.05060 (arxiv.org)