The James Webb Space Telescope discovered an ancient galaxy, GS-NDG-9422, with unusually bright gas rather than stars. This finding, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, suggests a previously unknown phase of galaxy evolution where superheated gas clouds outshine stars. The early universe’s different environment likely caused stars to be hotter and more massive. Webb’s infrared capabilities allow it to observe distant, faint light, revealing insights from 1 billion years after the Big Bang.