Earliest Massive Dead Galaxy Found: A Universe-Shaking Discovery

Astronomers using the Webb Space Telescope have discovered the most distant, and therefore earliest, massive dead galaxy in the Universe, named RUBIES-UDS-QG-z7.

This finding reveals that galaxies could rapidly gain mass and just as quickly “die” much earlier in the Universe’s history than astronomers previously thought. The discovery, published in The Astrophysical Journal and reported by Live Science, challenges existing models of galaxy evolution.

Dead galaxies, often referred to as “red and dead,” are those where the formation of new stars has stopped. These galaxies contain many old, small red stars and lack young, massive blue stars.

The galaxy RUBIES-UDS-QG-z7, the most distant dead galaxy known, emitted light that has traveled to us for over 13 billion years. This means astronomers are observing it as it appeared just 700 million years after the Big Bang, in a Universe now 13.8 billion years old. It is the first massive dead galaxy identified in the early Universe.

This discovery prompts a reevaluation of galaxy evolution models and the broader history of the Universe. Observations indicate that some galaxies ceased forming new stars far earlier than current models predicted, suggesting that processes governing galaxy development and star formation need rethinking.

Typically, galaxies require several billion years to become massive and another several billion years to become dead, according to prior scientific understanding.

• 
  Astronomers discovered an object that defies explanation
• 
  Could a telescope ever see the beginning of time?

Previously, astronomers using the Webb Space Telescope had found dead galaxies existing as early as 1.2 billion years after the Big Bang. However, the discovery of RUBIES-UDS-QG-z7 demonstrates that some galaxies stopped forming stars much earlier than expected.

Astronomers remain uncertain about how certain galaxies could amass significant mass so quickly and then abruptly halt star formation.

Notably, while RUBIES-UDS-QG-z7 was already dead, many other galaxies in the early Universe were still actively growing and forming stars during the same period, astronomers note.

Scientific calculations suggest that dead galaxies should have been rare in the early Universe, but further observations may reveal more such objects. The unexpected discovery of this record-breaking galaxy indicates that many mysteries remain unresolved.