Posted on 01/02/2025 5:36:20 AM PST by Red Badger
The James Webb Space Telescope has found evidence of large, bright galaxies in the early universe, challenging traditional dark matter theories and suggesting a rapid galactic formation as predicted by MOND. Credit: SciTechDaily.com New findings from the James Webb Space Telescope contradict traditional theories about early galaxy formation, revealing large and bright galaxies instead of the expected small, dim structures.
This observation supports the Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) theory, which disputes the role of dark matter and suggests a rapid formation of galaxies in the early universe, presenting a challenge to the widely accepted dark matter hypothesis.
Challenging Conventional Galaxy Formation Theories
The prevailing theory of galaxy formation in the early universe suggested that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) would detect faint signals from small, primitive galaxies. However, new data challenge this idea, casting doubt on the widely accepted hypothesis that invisible dark matter helped the earliest stars and galaxies clump together.
Instead, observations show that the oldest galaxies are unexpectedly large and bright. This finding aligns with an alternative theory of gravity, according to research from Case Western Reserve University published recently in The Astrophysical Journal. The results call into question astronomers’ long-held understanding of how the universe’s first structures formed.
Protogalaxies as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: NASA Evidence Supporting Modified Gravity
“What the theory of dark matter predicted is not what we see,” said Case Western Reserve astrophysicist Stacy McGaugh, whose paper describes structure formation in the early universe.
Rather than dark matter driving galaxy formation, McGaugh suggests that modified gravity could be the key. A theory called Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND), proposed in 1998, predicted that galaxy formation in the early universe occurred much faster than the Cold Dark Matter model, known as lambda-CDM, had anticipated.
The Role of JWST in Galactic Observations
JWST was designed to answer some of the biggest questions in the universe, such as how and when did stars and galaxies form? Until it was launched in 2021, no telescope was able to see that deeply into the universe and far back in time.
Lambda-CDM predicts that galaxies were formed by gradual accretion of matter from small to larger structures, due to the extra gravity provided by the mass of dark matter.
“Astronomers invented dark matter to explain how you get from a very smooth early universe to big galaxies with lots of empty space between them that we see today,” McGaugh said.
The small pieces assembled in larger and larger structures until galaxies formed. JWST should be able to see these small galaxy precursors as dim light.
MOND’s Predictive Success
“The expectation was that every big galaxy we see in the nearby universe would have started from these itty-bitty pieces,” he said.
But even at higher and higher redshift—looking earlier and earlier into the evolution of the universe—the signals are larger and brighter than expected.
MOND predicted that the mass that becomes a galaxy assembled rapidly and initially expands outward with the rest of the universe. The stronger force of gravity slows, then reverses, the expansion, and the material collapses on itself to form a galaxy. In this theory, there is no dark matter at all.
The large and bright structures seen by JWST very early in the universe were predicted by MOND over a quarter century ago, McGaugh said. He co-authored the paper with former Case Western Reserve postdoctoral researcher Federico Lelli, now at INAF—Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory in Italy, and former graduate student Jay Franck. The fourth coauthor is James Schombert from the University of Oregon.
“The bottom line is, ‘I told you so,’” McGaugh said. “I was raised to think that saying that was rude, but that’s the whole point of the scientific method: Make predictions and then check which come true.” He added that finding a theory compatible with both MOND and General Relativity is still a great challenge.
Reference:
“Accelerated Structure Formation: The Early Emergence of Massive Galaxies and Clusters of Galaxies”
by Stacy S. McGaugh, James M. Schombert, Federico Lelli and Jay Franck, 12 November 2024, The Astrophysical Journal.
DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad834d
OTOH, I have immodest expectations. :^) Thanks RB.
The bright galaxies still use incandescent light bulbs. They have to all switch to LED bulbs within a million years.
Dark Matter Theorists are being served Crow Pie ala MODE...........
Indeed
Not a single theory was challenged, only wild eyed guesses called hypotheses that were weighted by peers as plausible when they never deserved to be anything more than a drunk phd’s fantasy.
Just a thought;
We know that gravity can bend light in fact black holes supposedly have a gravity so strong that light can not escape it. So what is the estimated mass of the universe and is its gravity strong enough to pull light back on itself?
Yes, it can ‘freeze’ light..............Let there be light......
The dark matter is between their ears!
You are asking way too many difficult questions.
You are hereby banned from any faculty room lounges.
Lol.
….Back to Newton….. the universe is still, so far, at root, …. inexplicable
Proverbs 25:2, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.”
Yeah, they’re bitter over there. A couple of them were shouting at each other over their differing interpretations, and next thing, they started trying to slap each other like geeks, and called each other poopy-head.
But... What about settled science?
Depends on those in your orbit. 😂👍
Question:
Have scientists determined in which direction the big bang supposedly occurred? If not, then they may have the Webb telescope pointed towards an older section of the universe.
The Big Bang didn’t happen in any specific direction because it occurred “everywhere at once,” meaning it wasn’t an explosion in a single point but rather the expansion of space itself, happening uniformly throughout the universe; therefore, there is no “direction” to point to as the origin of the Big Bang.
But, how could it happen “everywhere at once”, if none of it existed before the Big Bang?
Everything, everywhere, all at once was all the same place.......
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