MoM-z14

MoM-z14 is the farthest known galaxy in the universe. Discovered on 16 May 2025 with a redshift of z = 14.44, it is pictured during the galaxy's formation about 280 million years after the Big Bang. As part of the cosmic timeline, MoM-z14 would have been formed during the Reionization Era of the early universe, when neutral hydrogen began ionizing due to radiated energy from the earliest celestial objects.^[1][2]

MoM-z14
Image of MoM-z14 taken with NIRcam on the JWST telescope.
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation	Sextans
Right ascension	10h 00m 22.40s
Declination	02° 16′ 23.19″
Redshift	14.44+0.02 −0.02[1]
Distance	13.53 billion light-years (light travel distance) 33.8 billion light-years (proper distance)
Apparent magnitude (V)	20.2
Characteristics
Type	Lyman-break galaxy
Size	240 light years
Notable features	Farthest confirmed galaxy discovered

MoM-z14 is a remarkably luminous and compact galaxy. It has a mass of 10⁸ solar masses making it similar in mass to the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). It appears to have gone through a time of high star formation at the time of our observation from around 13.53 billion years ago, giving off large amounts of ionizing photons which travel through a virtually dust free interstellar medium (ISM). The surroundings of MoM-z14 are partially ionized.^[1]

Discovery

MoM-z14 was discovered on 16 May 2025 by Rohan Naidu and 45 co-discoverers, with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).^[1] Telescopes launched prior to the JWST did not have mirrors large enough to detect light coming from these distant galaxies. The Spitzer telescope was an infrared telescope but was not large enough to detect MoM-z14. With its size and primary mission to study the assembly of galaxies, the JWST was able to detect MoM-z14.^[3]