SMRTR Science & EngineeringSep 3, 2025Live Science

James Webb telescope discovers 'exceptionally rare' 5-galaxy crash in the early universe

SMRTR summary

The James Webb and Hubble telescopes have discovered an extremely rare merger of at least five galaxies from the early universe, just 800 million years after the Big Bang. Nicknamed "JWST's Quintet," this system contains 17 galaxy clumps and is actively forming stars at an unusually high rate. The merger could explain how massive quiescent galaxies formed rapidly in the early universe, potentially evolving into a "dead" galaxy within 1-1.5 billion years after the Big Bang.

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