Unveiling the Early Universe: Bursty Star Formation and the Rise of Bright Galaxies
James Webb Telescope The journal article "Bursty Star Formation Naturally Explains the Abundance of Bright Galaxies at Cosmic Dawn" by Sun et al. (2023) delves into a captivating mystery of the cosmos: the existence of surprisingly luminous galaxies in the universe's infancy. Nicknamed "cosmic dawn," this period, roughly 13.8 billion years ago, witnessed the first glimmerings of star formation within vast clouds of primordial gas. The article proposes that a phenomenon called "bursty star formation" holds the key to understanding the abundance of these bright galaxies at such an early stage. The Enigma of Early Luminous Galaxies The prevailing theory suggests that galaxy formation in the early universe was a gradual process. Galaxies would slowly accumulate gas and form stars over vast stretches of time. However, recent observations with telescopes like Hubble and the newly launched James Webb Space Telescope have revealed a surprising tru...