Glittering Firefly Sparkle: A Glimpse into the Universe's Past

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has discovered Firefly Sparkle, a young galaxy from the early universe, giving insight into the Milky Way's infancy. The galaxy formed shortly after the Big Bang and appears as densely packed star clusters. It offers a glimpse at early star formation through gravitational lensing.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled Firefly Sparkle, a nascent galaxy resembling bioluminescent fireflies, from the universe's formative years, potentially mirroring the Milky Way's beginnings.

Researchers revealed that this galaxy started assembling just 600 million years post-Big Bang, when the universe was a mere 5% of its current age. Firefly Sparkle, with a mass of approximately 10 million suns, neighbors two smaller galaxies and features 10 densely packed star clusters.

Firefly Sparkle, among the earliest low-mass galaxies identified, is visible through gravitational lensing, a phenomenon where a massive object amplifies light from distant celestial entities. This discovery provides astronomers with significant insight into the processes underlying galaxy formation in the early universe.

(With inputs from agencies.)