--- title: "Galaxy Y1: How Super-Hot Dust Solved the Early Universe Paradox" description: "Using the ALMA array, astronomers studied galaxy Y1 at a distance of 13 billion light-years and showed that super-hot dust explains the dust-excess paradox in early galaxies." date: 2026-09-10T05:14:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/galaxy-y1-super-hot-dust-early-universe tags: [galaxy-y1, early-universe, alma-telescope, cosmic-dust, astronomy] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Galaxy Y1: How Super-Hot Dust Solved the Early Universe Paradox ![Galaxy Y1 seen edge-on: bright core and a band of super-hot dust in the early Universe](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/10/galaktika-y1-supergoryachaya-pyl-rannaya-vselenaya/galaktika-y1-supergoryachaya-pyl-rannaya-vselenaya-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Galaxy Y1 is the most distant galaxy in which cosmic dust has been detected (about 13 billion light-years away). - The rate of matter formation in Y1 reaches almost 180 solar masses per year, compared with roughly one in the Milky Way. - Super-hot dust produces an observational signal comparable to a much larger volume of cold dust, resolving the dust-excess paradox in early galaxies. Astronomers have announced a discovery that rewrites our understanding of what the Universe looked like in the first few hundred million years after the Big Bang. A study of a super-hot and extremely active region of the young Universe, where the first cosmic objects were forming, has been published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The central object of the work is galaxy Y1 — the most distant galaxy in which cosmic dust has ever been detected. Observations reached a depth of about 13 billion light-years, making it possible to capture events that occurred only a few hundred million years after the birth of the Universe. ### A super-hot cradle for the first objects The discovery was made possible by the ALMA array of radio telescopes, located in the Chilean desert. Galaxy Y1 turned out to be rich in dust, gas, and intense radiation, creating conditions for the active clumping of particles. In addition to dust, the object emits a colossal amount of infrared heat: the gases and dust inside it are heated to high temperatures, so they move and stick together significantly faster than in more “cold” galaxies. In terms of the processes involved, Y1 resembles the Orion or Sagittarius nebulae, familiar to astronomy enthusiasts, but unfolds on an incomparably larger scale. ### 180 solar masses per year: an unprecedented rate The key figure of the discovery is the rate of matter formation. If the Milky Way produces material equivalent to roughly one solar mass per year, then in this newly discovered cosmic region the figure reaches almost 180 solar masses per year. Such a rate indicates that early galaxies went through a phase of rapid growth with no direct counterparts in today’s calm galactic environment. ### How hot dust resolves the paradox The discovery of Y1 may solve a long-standing puzzle in astrophysics. It was previously believed that some early galaxies contained too much dust for their age, since dust usually forms only after stars complete their life cycle and explode. Researchers show that earlier calculations may have been incorrect: a small amount of extremely hot dust, like that in Y1, produces the same observational signal as much larger volumes of cold dust. This explains how the first galaxies managed to grow to significant sizes in a relatively short time by cosmic standards. ### Why this rate is not eternal It is important to emphasize that such a high rate of star formation cannot continue indefinitely. The reserves of gas and dust needed for star formation in Y1 must be depleted relatively quickly. Thus, the galaxy has been captured in a rare “window” of maximum activity, making it a particularly valuable object for understanding the early history of the Universe. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Astronomers solve the early Universe paradox: what galaxy Y1 revealed](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/astronomi-rozgadali-paradoks-rannogo-vsesvitu-1788965137.html) - Первичная подача: Y1, ALMA, 13 млрд св. лет, 180 солнечных масс/год, парадокс пыли, MNRAS. - [The mystery of the early Universe’s “monster galaxies” uncovered](https://hi-tech.mail.ru/news/137250-raskryta-zagadka-galaktik-monstrov-rannej-vselennoj/) - Согласуется с тезисом о бурном звездообразовании и избытке пыли в ранних галактиках. - [“James Webb” detects a non-rotating galaxy in the early Universe — the object challenges ...](https://www.ixbt.com/news/2026/06/06/dzhejms-ujebb-obnaruzhil-v-rannej-vselennoj-galaktiku-bez-vrashenija--obekt-brosaet-vyzov-standartnoj-modeli.html) - Подтверждено по источнику ixbt.com - [Astronomers discover possibly the first galaxy in the Universe (photo)](https://focus.ua/technologies/722949-astronomy-obnaruzhili-vozmozhno-samuyu-pervuyu-galaktiku-vo-vselennoy-foto) - Подтверждено по источнику focus.ua ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What is galaxy Y1 and why is it important? **A:** Y1 is the most distant galaxy in which cosmic dust has ever been detected. It lies about 13 billion light-years away, so observations reveal events that occurred a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. ### Q: What instrument made the discovery? **A:** The discovery was made possible by the ALMA array of radio telescopes in the Chilean desert. ### Q: What is the dust paradox and how does Y1 resolve it? **A:** Early galaxies appeared to contain too much dust for their age. Researchers show that a small amount of super-hot dust, like that in Y1, produces the same observational signal as a large volume of cold dust, so earlier estimates may have overestimated the actual dust reserves. ### Q: How high is the rate of matter formation in Y1? **A:** The figure reaches almost 180 solar masses per year, whereas the Milky Way produces material equivalent to roughly one solar mass per year.