Astronomers were perplexed when NASA's James Webb Space Telescope captured the first pictures from the early cosmos.
It seemed impossible for the young galaxies they were seeing to have formed so soon after the Big Bang because they were too bright, and hence, huge, and mature.
But now, using sophisticated computer models of the early universe, researchers headed by Northwestern University in Illinois think they have found a solution to this dilemma.
Their findings suggest that these early galaxies may have shone brighter than would have been expected given their size because of sporadic, intense bursts of star formation.
Some scientists may be relieved by the discovery, since they had been concerned that the early giant galaxy issue might need an update to the standard model of cosmology.
Professor Claude-André Faucher-Giguère of Northwestern University and his colleagues conducted the research.
According to Faucher-Giguère, the finding of these galaxies was unexpected due to their far higher luminosities than predicted.
"A galaxy is usually brilliant because it is large in size. However, not enough time has elapsed since the Big Bang since these galaxies emerged during cosmic dawn."