Webb and ALMA find oxygen in galaxy JADES-GS-z14-0 from universe's first 300 million years

September 7, 2026 at 10:30 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Astronomers detected oxygen in galaxy JADES-GS-z14-0, seen when the universe was less than 300 million years old. Two teams reported the detection using the ALMA telescope array in Chile, confirming the galaxy's extreme distance with a precise redshift of 14.18. The finding implies massive stars had already forged and dispersed heavy elements in the early cosmos.

Key Facts

JADES-GS-z14-0 contained oxygen when the universe was less than 300 million years old.
ALMA measured the [O III] 88-micrometre line at a redshift of 14.1793 with an uncertainty of 0.0007.
Stefano Carniani and Kevin Hainline described almost ten hours of Webb Near-Infrared Spectrograph observations in NASA's May 2024 discovery account.
Sander Schouws and colleagues reported a 6.6-sigma detection of the oxygen line in The Astrophysical Journal.
Carniani's team obtained a redshift of 14.1796 in Astronomy & Astrophysics, closely matching the Schouws result.

Oxygen Detection

Two teams reported the oxygen detection using ALMA, the telescope array in Chile, in studies publicised in March 2025. Webb had discovered the galaxy and established its extreme distance; ALMA added a clear chemical signature and a much more precise redshift. Sander Schouws and colleagues reported a 6.6-sigma detection of the [O III] 88-micrometre line in The Astrophysical Journal. The line gave a redshift of 14.1793, with an uncertainty of 0.0007, placing the galaxy firmly within the era before the universe reached 300 million years of age. Carniani's team, in Astronomy & Astrophysics, obtained a closely matching redshift of 14.1796 from its analysis of the oxygen emission.

Early Star Formation

The oxygen implies that stars had already made heavier elements and released them into surrounding gas. The early universe began with matter dominated by hydrogen and helium; substantial oxygen enrichment requires later nuclear processing in stars. ESO describes the sequence: stars produce heavier elements, then spread them through their surroundings when they die. Massive stars consume their fuel quickly and can complete their lives on timescales of millions of years, according to NASA's guide to stellar types.

Webb's Initial Clues

In NASA's May 2024 discovery account, Stefano Carniani and Kevin Hainline described almost ten hours of observations with Webb's Near-Infrared Spectrograph. The spectrum placed the galaxy at a redshift near 14, within the first few hundred million years of cosmic history. Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument showed the galaxy was brighter at longer wavelengths than a simple continuation of its shorter-wavelength light would suggest. The team interpreted that excess as evidence for strong emission from ionised gas, including hydrogen and oxygen.