_x000D_IMAGE PROCESSING: NASA, ESA, CSA, Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

What is the cosmic dawn?

The cosmic dawn is what astronomers call the time when galaxies first formed in the universe, about 500 million to 1 billion years after the Big Bang. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope recently spotted six massive galaxies from this era that are so huge they shouldn’t exist. As reported on Feb. 22, 2023, these galaxies, billions of times heavier than our sun and as compact as the Milky Way, are so large and mature that they challenge current theories of early galaxy formation.