The James Webb (JWST) space telescope continues to make amazing discoveries that change the ideas of scientists about the development of the Universe. Observations of the telescope allowed us to look during the period of cosmic dark centuries and detect the oldest galaxies. Thanks to the received data, the astronomers were able to clarify the assessments of the cosmic expansion, known as “Hubble’s tension”.
The results of the observations were completely unexpected for the scientific community. In the early universe, more galaxies were found than cosmological models predicted. In addition, the galaxies were much brighter than expected, pointing to the faster formation of stars.
Astronomers and cosmologists are actively working on an explanation of unexpected discoveries. Among the proposed theories are the concept of early dark energy, which ensured an additional impulse of the development of the Universe at the initial stages.
JWST revolutionary in the study of exoplanets, translating the direction from simple detection to a detailed study of characteristics. Today, astronomers have confirmed the existence of 5787 exoplanets in 4325 planetary systems. Thanks to modern infrared devices and spectrometers of the telescope, scientists analyze the atmospheres of planets for chemical signatures – vapor of water, oxygen or methane, which may indicate suitability for life.
Particular interest is the observations of the planet wasp-96 b, “hot Jupiter”, revolving near the star at a distance of 1150 light years. In July 2022, scientists discovered water and signs of clouds in the planet’s atmosphere, which was a surprise, given the high temperature of the celestial body.
Significant results were obtained when studying the planet k2-18 b, located 120 light years from the ground. In September 2023, JWST recorded methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere – biosignrators, potentially indicating the possibility of life.
The important achievement of JWST was the detection of ultra-massive black holes in the early Universe. When observation,