<p>I will answer your question: if the James Webb Telescope finds galaxies beyond 14 billion light-years, then cosmologists will certainly revise some key points in the chronology of the Big Bang.</p>
<p>You might want to remember a nice saying: &quot;<em>Cosmologists might be wrong but they're never in doubt</em>&quot;. This means that cosmology is our best theoretical guess given by a plain extrapolation of current known law of Physics through the use of Mathematics and actual observational datas. Once the observational datas change, obviously also the extrapolation derived from those changes.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-27T12:19:34.660Z
If you look at how distance is calculated from redshift it is obvious that James Webb will never find  galaxies further away than 13.72 billion light years. Even if James Webb were to find an object with close to infinite redshift, the redshift to distance converter will place it aroud 13.72 billion light years away. Se for instance: https://www.astro.ucla.edu/~wright/CosmoCalc.html
Agerhell
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-12T12:06:35.907Z
2022-07-12T12:06:35.907Z
Dac0
<p>It seems inevitable to me that the scope will indeed image them. If so, will the astonishingly inflexible astrophysicist establishment have the humility to admit they're wrong, and that the Big Bang theory is incorrect?</p>
<p>Or will there be a flurry of hand waving?</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-11T23:08:47.500Z
Why "inevitable", if they're not there? I don't understand. Could you please elaborate?
paul garrett
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-11T23:10:24.220Z
@paulgarrett Well, I did say 'seems' inevitable.
White Prime
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-11T23:12:35.363Z
But isn't that the very question: are there things that far away, or not? We'll get an answer one way or another, but I don't see the inevitability ahead-of-time of either yes or no, etc. Am I misunderstanding something? I'm not a professional astronomer, etc.
paul garrett
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-11T23:27:02.960Z
@paulgarrett Then I'll speak plainly, Paul. It's inevitable because the very idea that the universe - and even space itself - had a beginning was always a fundamentally flawed hypothesis.
White Prime
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-11T23:36:25.197Z
Ah, thanks for being forthright!
paul garrett
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-12T06:20:07.047Z
The (proper) distance to [GN-z11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GN-z11) is ~32 billion light-years.
PM 2Ring
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-12T11:18:15.113Z
I voted to close this nonsense as you're basically just asking for opinions on a hypothetical scenario.
StephenG - Help Ukraine
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-12T13:09:14.163Z
@StephenG-HelpUkraine Charming as always, Stephen.
White Prime
<james-webb-space-telescope>
If the James Webb Telescope finds galaxies beyond 14 billion light-years, will the astrophysicist establishment modify their theories?
White Prime
# If the James Webb Telescope finds galaxies beyond 14 billion light-years, will the astrophysicist establishment modify their theories?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-07-11)

It seems inevitable to me that the scope will indeed image them. If so, will the astonishingly inflexible astrophysicist establishment have the humility to admit they're wrong, and that the Big Bang theory is incorrect?

Or will there be a flurry of hand waving?

Thank you.

**Tags:** james-webb-space-telescope
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Why "inevitable", if they're not there? I don't understand. Could you please elaborate?  
> **username_0**: @paulgarrett Well, I did say 'seems' inevitable.  
> **username_1**: But isn't that the very question: are there things that far away, or not? We'll get an answer one way or another, but I don't see the inevitability ahead-of-time of either yes or no, etc. Am I misunderstanding something? I'm not a professional astronomer, etc.  
> **username_0**: @paulgarrett Then I'll speak plainly, Paul. It's inevitable because the very idea that the universe - and even space itself - had a beginning was always a fundamentally flawed hypothesis.  
> **username_1**: Ah, thanks for being forthright!  
> **username_2**: The (proper) distance to [GN-z11](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GN-z11) is ~32 billion light-years.  
> **username_3**: I voted to close this nonsense as you're basically just asking for opinions on a hypothetical scenario.  
> **username_0**: @StephenG-HelpUkraine Charming as always, Stephen.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2022-07-12. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

I will answer your question: if the James Webb Telescope finds galaxies beyond 14 billion light-years, then cosmologists will certainly revise some key points in the chronology of the Big Bang.

You might want to remember a nice saying: "*Cosmologists might be wrong but they're never in doubt*". This means that cosmology is our best theoretical guess given by a plain extrapolation of current known law of Physics through the use of Mathematics and actual observational datas. Once the observational datas change, obviously also the extrapolation derived from those changes.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: If you look at how distance is calculated from redshift it is obvious that James Webb will never find  galaxies further away than 13.72 billion light years. Even if James Webb were to find an object with close to infinite redshift, the redshift to distance converter will place it aroud 13.72 billion light years away. Se for instance: https://www.astro.ucla.edu/~wright/CosmoCalc.html  

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