JWST has identified the ancient entity MoM-z14, the most primeval and remote galaxy verified as of now.(Image credit: ASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Rohan Naidu (MIT); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI))ShareShare by:
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Editor’s note: This article received an update on Jan. 29, 2026. It initially went live in May, 2025, concurrent with the release of the related study as a preprint. The study now possesses peer review and resides in the Open Journal of Astrophysics, as per NASA. Statements from a NASA announcement have also been incorporated.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has recognized the most distant galaxy recorded to date — exceeding its prior benchmark once more.
The galaxy, known as MoM-z14, represents “the most distant spectroscopically validated origin as of today, expanding the observational limit to just 280 million years post Big Bang,” penned researchers in a recent study, which was presented May 23, 2025 on the preprint repository arXiv and subsequently found acceptance in the Open Journal of Astrophysics in January, 2026.
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“Through Webb, our vision stretches further than previously attainable, exhibiting unforeseen phenomena that present both hurdles and thrills,” stated Rohan Naidu, primary author of the study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, as articulated in a NASA statement dated Jan. 28.
Searching for cosmic dawn
From its operational start in 2022, JWST has identified a multitude of radiant, primeval galaxies that surpassed the expectations of scientists, thereby contesting established theories regarding the universe’s initial stage. “This astonishing accumulation has ignited the scientific world, posing critical inquiries about galactic construction during the initial 500 [million years following the Big Bang],” remarked the study’s authors.
As further instances gradually surface, researchers endeavor to validate whether these glowing subjects genuinely represent ancient galaxies. Naidu and his collaborators meticulously assessed current JWST imagery seeking likely primeval galaxies for scrutiny. Subsequent to flagging MoM-z14 as a probable focus, they directed the telescope toward the intriguing entity in April 2025.
Measuring an astronomical object’s age involves assessing its redshift, which is one method utilized by scientists. Spacetime’s expansion results in the elongation of light emitted by distant objects, leading to lengthier, “redder” wavelengths. Elevated redshift values denote light that has journeyed farther and longer.
Within the new study, still awaiting peer validation, the team affirmed MoM-z14’s redshift at 14.44 — an increment over the previous record holder for the most distant observed galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-0, registering 14.18.
The previous record holder for the earliest confirmed galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-0, was also identified by JWST.
MoM-z14 showcases relative compactness in the context of its light emission. Its spatial extent reaches approximately 240 light-years, making it around 400-fold smaller than the host galaxy. Furthermore, it houses roughly the same mass as the Small Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy orbiting the Milky Way.
The researchers investigated MoM-z14 amidst a period marked by rapid star genesis. The entity also demonstrates notable nitrogen abundance relative to carbon, echoing characteristics of globular clusters detected within the Milky Way.
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These primeval, firmly united groups of thousands to millions of stars are speculated to have originated across the initial billion years of the cosmos, which establishes them as the most ancient identified stars within our cosmic proximity. The comparable traits exhibited by MoM-z14 implies stellar formation operated similarly, even at such a nascent juncture in the universe’s progression.
Although scientists persist in their quest to ratify additional high redshift galaxies, they foresee uncovering numerous extra possibilities courtesy of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, an infrared telescope engineered to scrutinize substantial sections of the sky, potentially commencing its mission toward the close of 2026.
Prior to that, JWST might break its existing benchmark anew.
“JWST appears positioned to instigate a string of landmark expansions on the cosmic perimeter,” wrote the authors. “Formerly inconceivable redshifts, drawing close to the epoch of the cosmos’s inaugural stars, no longer seem distant.”
Article Sources
Naidu, R. P., Oesch, P. A., Brammer, G., Weibel, A., Li, Y., Matthee, J., Chisholm, J., Pollock, C. L., Heintz, K. E., Johnson, B. D., Shen, X., Hviding, R. E., Leja, J., Tacchella, S., Ganguly, A., Witten, C., Atek, H., Belli, S., Bose, S., . . . Whitaker, K. E. (2025, May 16). A Cosmic Miracle: A Remarkably Luminous Galaxy at z=14.44 Confirmed with JWST. arXiv.org. https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.11263
Skyler WareSocial Links NavigationLive Science Contributor
Skyler Ware performs as a freelance science journalist, tackling topics like chemistry, biology, paleontology, and Earth science. She acted as a 2023 AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellow employed at Science News. Further appearances of her work include Science News Explores, ZME Science, and Chembites, among others. Skyler maintains a Ph.D. in chemistry acquired from Caltech.
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