JWST hints stellar collisions were common in the early universe

James Webb Space Telescope observations reveal extraordinarily compact stellar systems from shortly after the Big Bang, suggesting stellar collisions were once much more common. In today's universe such collisions are rare because of the vast distances between stars.

• JWST sees compact stellar systems from shortly after the Big Bang
• Stellar collisions are rare in the present-day universe
• Compact ancient systems raise the odds of stellar collisions