Webb reveals merger scars in galaxies that stopped forming stars 9 billion years ago

Astrobitica July 1, 2026 (Last updated: July 1, 2026) 1 minute read

An international team led by astronomers at the University of Nottingham studied a large sample of recently “quenched” galaxies using the James Webb Space Telescope, focusing on those observed around nine billion years ago. Their findings have been published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Research has shed new light on why some distant galaxies suddenly stop forming stars. An international team led by astronomers at the University of Nottingham has used the James Webb Space Telescope to study a large sample of recently “quenched” galaxies in the distant universe, observed around nine billion years ago. Their findings appear in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.