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James Webb Uncovers Ancient Jellyfish Galaxy's Surprising Origins

2/20/2026

Summary

Story summary

The James Webb Space Telescope discovered the jellyfish galaxy COSMOS2020-635829, existing 8.5 billion years ago, with ram-pressure stripping indicated by trailing gas streams.
The finding challenges the view that ram-pressure stripping occurs only in mature clusters, suggesting harsher environments existed earlier.
The findings are published in The Astrophysical Journal, with Dr. Ian Roberts leading a study to characterize the galaxy and the role of ram-pressure stripping in the early universe.

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Story summary

The James Webb Space Telescope discovered the jellyfish galaxy COSMOS2020-635829, existing 8.5 billion years ago, with ram-pressure stripping indicated by trailing gas streams.
The finding challenges the view that ram-pressure stripping occurs only in mature clusters, suggesting harsher environments existed earlier.
The findings are published in The Astrophysical Journal, with Dr. Ian Roberts leading a study to characterize the galaxy and the role of ram-pressure stripping in the early universe.