The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has discovered a surprising phenomenon in the dwarf galaxy Leo P, which was thought to be “frozen” in time. Although it belongs to the oldest galaxies in the Universe, new data has revealed: Leo P is unexpectedly forming stars again — which has raised admiration and questions in the scientific world.
This tiny galaxy was discovered back in 2013. It is special because it is an astronomical “window” into the early Universe. It is virtually unchanged since the cosmos was only 1-2 billion years old, and it contains only hydrogen and helium. Leo P is located away from the influence of large galaxies like our Milky Way, which allowed it to retain its original state. But that’s what makes James Webb’s latest discovery so unexpected.
Galactic miracle
Using the NIRCam camera, the telescope analyzed thousands of stars in the dwarf galaxy. It turned out that after rapid star formation during the epoch of reionization, the galaxy ceased activity. However, billions of years later, it suddenly became active again – contradicting the idea that small isolated galaxies are permanently “turned off”.
“We expected to see a static object. However, Leo P demonstrated a dynamic past,” the researchers explained.
The other three similar galaxies studied by JWST remained passive, making Leo P an exception. Why did it “wake up”? Perhaps due to collision with gas clouds or internal processes – the exact reasons are still to be determined.
Galaxy evolution
Leo P could rewrite our knowledge of the evolution of galaxies. It was previously thought that small galaxies were rapidly losing gas to external factors or running out of gas. However, its revival shows: even in “dormant” systems, new bursts of star creation are possible. It also provides clues as to how the first galaxies may have evolved after the dark ages of the Universe.
JWST’s next step will be to study four other isolated dwarf galaxies. The goal is to understand whether Leo P is a unique case, or whether we do not yet know all the mechanisms of cosmic system evolution.
We previously reported on how mysterious threads at the heart of the Milky Way control galactic life.
According to livescience.com
