James Webb unveils a knot of galaxies from the early universe

The box of wonders has opened again. L’ESA published a few hours ago the incredible image of a node of galaxies from the first times of the universe (still called the primitive universe) and inevitably, it is once again the great James Webb which is at the origin of this sensational “take” made with the NIRSpec instrument. DSS J165202.64+172852.3 is a quasar “extremely red” – a supermassive, hyper-luminous black hole in the middle of a cluster of primordial galaxies – whose light reached the Webb mirrors after 11.5 billion years. This node of galaxies therefore appears to us as it was only 2 billion years after the Big Bang!

1/ *NEW* Using #Webb, astronomers have discovered a cluster of galaxies in the process of formation around an “extremely red” quasar. The result will expand our understanding of how galaxies in the early Universe formed the cosmos we see today. Full story: https://t.co/ozr7TRgQvY pic.twitter.com/Z0WMdzCp72

— ESA Webb Telescope (@ESA_Webb) October 20, 2022

The ESA asserts that such observations will make it possible to learn more about the birth of primitive Galaxies, and confirms in passing that this quasar is one of the most impressive ever observed at such a distance. But that, we suspected a little knowing that James Webb accumulates scientific exploits with disconcerting ease since his start…