Rethinking the Nature of a Colossal Ancient Galaxy

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed that HFLS3, previously thought to be a single galaxy with rampant star formation early in the Universe, is actually six galaxies in the midst of a massive collision. This discovery, led by Gareth Jones of the University of Oxford, challenges previous notions about the size and star formation rates of early galaxies and provides insight into galaxy interactions during the Cosmic Dawn. The findings, which show the galaxies are closely interacting and igniting new stars at a high rate, have been accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics and call for a reevaluation of similar cosmic objects.