Direct neutral gas found in galaxies 700M yrs post-Big Bang
Scientists using the ALMA telescope have detected neutral gas in galaxies existing 700-800 million years after the Big Bang. This discovery provides new insights into the formation of the universe's first stars.
Why it matters
Observing neutral gas helps astronomers understand the conditions of the early universe that led to the birth of the first celestial structures.
Approximately 13.8 billion years ago, the Big Bang is hypothesized to have occurred, kickstarting our universe and eventually life on our small, blue world. While the Big Bang has yet to be directly observed, scientists have worked tirelessly to piece together the events that happened immediately after the Big Bang, specifically the first billion years or less, with the goal of gaining insight into the how the first stars, and potentially planets, formed and evolved.
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