Webb Spots Mysterious Flash in an Empty Patch of Sky

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope detected a single emission line in a seemingly empty patch of sky in the constellation Fornax. The light appeared twice, 88 days apart, in August and November 2023, though Hubble and Webb had seen nothing there before. The source remains unidentified, with findings published in The Astrophysical Journal.

• The light appeared in two observations 88 days apart
• Six of seven emission lines matched distant galaxies
• Hubble and Webb had seen no object at that location
• Candidates include a primordial galaxy, a dying nucleus or a shredded star