NASA visualizes three “red monsters”: “It is the beginning of a new era”.

Changes in science. The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered “red monsters”, massive, star-rich galaxies that defy astronomers’ expectations. These findings suggest that the earliest galaxies formed stars much faster than previously believed, marking the beginning of a new era in cosmic exploration.

Using James Webb’s images, researchers found that these galaxies were actually closer than initially estimated, making them less massive than feared. A recent study published in the prestigious Nature confirms that several early galaxies grew at a much faster rate than standard models had predicted.

The “red monsters”: ultra-productive galaxies

Among the 36 massive galaxies studied, astronomers identified three exceptional objects now called “red monsters.” These galaxies stand out because they converted nearly 50% of available matter into stars—a rate 500 times higher than that of the Milky Way.

According to Mengyuan Xiao, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Geneva and lead author of the study, these findings indicate that early galaxies may have formed stars with an efficiency never seen before. “The red monsters are just the beginning of a new era in our exploration of the early universe,” she states.

How did these galaxies grow so fast?

Two key factors could explain their rapid growth:

• The influence of supermassive black holes
• A more efficient gas supply through cosmic filaments

Astronomers still need to continue analyzing not only images but also test projections and simulations to understand these ultra-productive galaxies in greater detail.