Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have unveiled intricate internal structures within early galaxies—just 1 billion years after the Big Bang—as part of the CRISTAL survey.
By tracing ionised carbon ([C II]) emission in 39 typical star-forming galaxies and combining it with Hubble and JWST imagery, the team has revealed: Clumps of star formation spanning thousands of light-years, extended cold gas envelopes beyond stellar regions—fuel for future stars, and Signatures of rotational motion, hinting at early disk formation.
ALMA’s sensitivity sheds light on the complex “cosmic dawn” environments, transforming mere smudges of light into detailed portraits of galaxy evolution. This research was by Herrera-Camus et al. in Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Read the full ALMA release.
Image: A family portrait of galaxies from the CRISTAL survey. Red shows cold gas traced by ALMA’s [CII] observations. Blue and green represent starlight captured by the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) / HST / JWST / R. Herrera-Camus