The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has made new discoveries that challenge the long-standing beliefs about how galaxies formed in the early universe.
Instead of confirming the theory that dark matter played a key role in galaxy formation, recent observations show that the oldest galaxies in the universe are larger and brighter than scientists expected.
James Webb Telescope's New Data Challenges Dark Matter Theory, Supports Modified Gravity
This contradicts predictions from the widely accepted Cold Dark Matter theory (lambda-CDM) and supports a different idea called Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND).
According to MirageNews, the MOND theory, introduced in 1998, suggests that gravity behaves differently than what scientists have traditionally believed.
According to this theory, galaxy formation occurred much faster than expected, and there is no need for dark matter to explain how galaxies came together.
Instead, MOND proposes that galaxies formed rapidly as matter collapsed under its own gravity.
Scientists had expected JWST to find faint, small galaxies from the early universe. The idea was that small galaxies would gradually grow larger through the influence of dark matter, a mysterious substance that doesn't emit light but is thought to make up a large portion of the universe's mass.
However, JWST's observations show that some of the oldest galaxies are unexpectedly large and bright, challenging the idea that dark matter played such a significant role.
Stacy McGaugh, an astrophysicist at Case Western Reserve University, led the research and pointed out that the findings contradict what dark matter theory predicted.
He explained that the original theory was that galaxies formed over time from small building blocks. But the data from JWST show that galaxies seem to have formed much faster and in a different way than anticipated.
MOND Theory Gains Ground as JWST Reveals Rapid Galaxy Formation
MOND, which McGaugh has supported for years, predicted that galaxy formation would happen quickly.
It suggests that galaxies expanded outward with the universe but were later pulled together by gravity, leading to the rapid creation of large, bright galaxies, SciTechDaily said. This theory does not rely on dark matter at all.
The discoveries made by JWST are particularly significant because the telescope was specifically designed to explore the universe's earliest periods. By looking deeper into space than ever before, JWST is helping scientists understand when and how stars and galaxies formed.
McGaugh's research and the data from JWST could reshape how astronomers view the early universe. The large, bright galaxies observed by JWST are in line with the predictions of MOND, not dark matter theory.
McGaugh and his colleagues argue that this is a clear indication that galaxy formation happened more quickly than previously thought.
While these findings challenge established ideas, they also open up new avenues for scientific exploration.
McGaugh believes that testing new theories, like MOND, and finding ways to combine them with other established principles, such as General Relativity, will be a challenge. However, the discoveries from JWST are forcing scientists to rethink how galaxies came to be in the first place.
