JWST advanced deep extragalactic survey data release 5: photometrically selected galaxy candidates at z > 8

We present a sample of 2081 sources selected at a photometric redshift zphot > 8 across the JADES DR5 data release in GOODS-S and GOODS-N over a total area of 469 arcmin2. These sources range from MUV = −22 to MUV = −16, with 19 objects at zphot > 14. We estimate the UV slopes for the full sample from fits to the photometry and find evidence for a steepening of the relationship between the UV continuum slope and MUV to higher redshifts, a result that differs from prior analyses of brighter samples in the literature. We provide evidence that over one-quarter of our sources have evidence for being morphologically extended, with many galaxies showing multiple bright knots or clumps even out to z ∼ 13–14, an indication of how galaxies at cosmic dawn are growing and evolving. We discuss JADES-GN+189.15982+62.28899, a GOODS-N F200W dropout galaxy at zphot ∼ 15–18, which has been observed spectroscopically with JWST/NIRSpec in prism mode, resulting in a very low signal-to-noise spectrum that is consistent with the photometry and rules out a number of low-redshift solutions for the source. Finally, we use a subsample of 123 objects in our sample with spectroscopic redshifts to explore the usage of alternate fitting templates and a prescription for Lyα damping wing absorption, finding that both produce significant improvements to the estimated photometric redshifts.