Webb Space Telescope spots early galaxies hidden from Hubble

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s new Webb Space Telescope is finding bright, early galaxies that until now have been hidden from view. Astronomers reported Thursday that one of these galaxies may have formed a mere 350 million years after the universe-forming Big Bang nearly 14 billion years ago. If that’s confirmed in coming months, it would beat the most distant galaxy identified by the Hubble Space Telescope by 50 million years. Launched almost a year ago, Webb is indicating that stars may have formed much sooner after the Big Bang than previously thought.