JWST has found MASSIVE galaxies in the early Universe which we can't explain

Once again a JWST result has been misunderstood and twisted into something it's not on social media. In this video we're chatting about what astronomers have found, how they found these galaxies, and what that means for our understanding of the Universe.

#jwst #astrophysics #lymanbreak

** REFERENCES **

00:00 - Introduction
00:22 - What have astronomers found in JWST data?
02:04 - Lyman break in a galaxy spectrum: DISTANCE
03:19 - Balmer break in a galaxy spectrum: AGE & MASS
04:59 - How we know heavy these galaxies are
06:18 - How you measure it with just galaxy images (not spectra)
08:02 - How heavy are these galaxies then?
09:11 - Why it's a big deal they're so big
10:28 - Does this mean the Big Bang theory is wrong? No.
11:23 - The caveats: are the measurements accurate or precise?
12:54 - What's next? Getting spectra with JWST
13:26 - Bloopers

---

---

---

---

---

🔔 Don't forget to subscribe and click the little bell icon to be notified when I post a new video!

---

👩🏽‍💻 I'm Dr. Becky Smethurst, an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford (Christ Church). I love making videos about science with an unnatural level of enthusiasm. I like to focus on how we know things, not just what we know. And especially, the things we still don't know. If you've ever wondered about something in space and couldn't find an answer online - you can ask me! My day job is to do research into how supermassive black holes can affect the galaxies that they live in. In particular, I look at whether the energy output from the disk of material orbiting around a growing supermassive black hole can stop a galaxy from forming stars.

[odizzido]

I stopped reading the news because I found it makes me less informed than I was before reading it. I get almost all of my info from people like you who share your expertise with us. Thanks for this content :)

[ariochiv]

Yeah, I essentially stopped clicking on any astronomy or physics headline that has the word "impossible" in it.
I really appreciate how deeply you go into the assumptions behind these measurements (which is, it seems to me, the important bit whenever there's an unpredicted result), and you went the extra mile for this one. Thanks.

[ardiankotori]

Thank you for the clear information. There’s been so much speculation recently about these six distant galaxies. It’s nice to have some measured and balanced explanation for a change and not just get carried away.

[suryahitam]

Great work Dr. Becky. I love it that you cite the actual sources and tell us what was actually measured instead of just giving us hype and artists' impressions of distant galaxies no one has truly seen. You are a superb scientific educator.

[KevinTurner-aka-keturn]

Thank you for the approachable explanation of the Lyman and Balmer breaks! That was very useful for understanding what kind of observations and inferences they're making here.

[rkj]

i find this a lot in videos on here. some random "science" channels give details like a "news outlet " infers
a lot of the information, than actually giving facts. I'm thankful for you and your channel !

[donavenmusic]

WE LOVE YOU! Thanks for continuing to educate us on all things space! You’re stellar! 🪐🖤

[billradford]

At 75 my first glimpse of cosmology was the universe contracting/steady state/expanding debate and ever since then we have learned more and more about the universe. Almost every month something significant is learned and published. It would be ludicrous to think we had suddenly come to the end of the story with no more questions to answer! Your job is secure Dr Becky and long may you continue to explain discoveries as clearly as you did today .(and with the same enthusiasm!) Thank you.

[graemehirstwood]

it is something that I absolutely love about astrophysicists - most people would be annoyed if the results came back not as expected. Whereas you people get all excited, practically bouncing around the room, "Look! A new puzzle!"

[tomriley]

Love this - it's basically explaining how science works - and why the money was spent on developing JWST - if it only showed us stuff that agreed with the models we already had it would be really disappointing, because it's not we get to learn stuff from the new data!

[rumraket]

Thank you for throwing some calm into the sensationalist news cycle. Sadly some scientists themselves aren't all that precise with their language when speaking to the public and/or through media, and this lack of precision and caveats can be rather misleading particularly when then filtered through writers trying to dramatize for clicks and attention-grabbing, rather than to simply inform. Something being statistically rare/unlikely in some model becomes IMPOSSIBLE, and data that fits poorly or lies at tail ends of distributions becomes COMPLETELY UNEXPLAINED etc.

[bawolmusique]

Thank you for taking the time to look into all of these interesting space stories and outputting such well-thought-out content! I am always excited when I see that a new Dr. Becky video is out!

[shanenorman]

Very clear explanation of how preliminary reporting works. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed your audiobook. An easy and relaxed presentation of a complex subject.

[jacquesschwarz-bart]

Thanks doctor! As a jazz musician, I have to constantly revise my approach to music as I absorb new data and concepts. That process is unsettling but exciting to the extreme. Thanks for sharing your journey at the edge of astrophysics knowledge! What exciting times we live in! Astrophysics should be mandatory in school, as it would teach perseverance, intellectual honesty and humility!

[MadDragon]

It's good to see you happy and in good health.
Physics Girl is suffering from long Covid.
Take care of yourself everyone.

[robertm]

Another excellent video. You are such an excellent teacher of some of the key concepts driving the data and conclusions of these studies and how they will inspire further study.

[curaderana]

I was waiting for this! Looking forward to more great discoveries from JWST. Please keep up the good work!

[JoshuaPoint]

Thank you so much for all your content and insight! I looked forward to the JWST for years, but as an astronomy layman, I have to rely on professional scientists to make it more meaningful than pretty pictures. You have been a wonderful tour guide over the last 9 months!

[carrickrichards]

You are consistently interesting, useful and clear. Thank you

[randalscott]

Every time I see an astronomical headline I automatically think: "What's Dr. Becky going to say about this?" Much the same way Scott Manley is my "go-to" about space flight. Keep up the great work, and watch out for those hot beverages! ☕️