Astronomers have made a startling discovery: a galaxy remarkably similar to our own Milky Way, but originating from the universe’s early history. This finding challenges existing theories about how galaxies formed and evolved.

A Glimpse into the Past

The galaxy, named J0107A, existed 11.1 billion years ago. Its spiral structure, complete wiht a central bar and flowing gas, bears a striking resemblance to the milky Way. However, J0107A is far more massive, prompting scientists to reconsider the timeline of galactic advancement.

Researchers utilized data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to analyse J0107A.

Monster Galaxy with High Star Formation

J0107A’s mass, including stars and gas, is estimated to be 10 times greater than the milky Way.It also forms stars at a rate approximately 300 times faster. Despite its size, J0107A appears denser than our galaxy.

The galaxy is a monster galaxy with a high level of star formation and a lot of gas, far more than today’s galaxy.

Astronomer Shuo Huang, National astronomy Observatory of Japan

Challenging Existing Theories

This discovery raises notable questions about the origins of galaxy formation in the early universe. Typically, galaxies with such high star formation rates at that time are the result of mergers or collisions. However, there is no evidence to suggest that J0107A underwent such a process.

Similarities and Differences

While J0107A and the Milky Way share similarities in size and the presence of a bar structure, their evolutionary timelines differ significantly.

However, the Milky Way has a lot of time to form a large structure, while J0107A is not.

Toshiki Saito,Astronomer,University of Shizuoka

Revising Galaxy Formation Theories

In the early universe,galaxies were turbulent and gas-rich. Organized structures like the Milky Way’s spiral shape were considered rare. J0107A’s existence challenges this assumption.

Compared to other monster galaxies in the distant universe (originating from previous cosmic times) whose shape is usually disturbed or irregular, it is unexpected that J0107A looks very similar to today’s spiral galaxies.

Astronomer Shuo Huang, National Astronomy Observatory of Japan

Huang suggests that current theories of galaxy formation may need revision.

The Role of the Webb Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope has been instrumental in revealing that spiral galaxies existed much earlier than previously thought. J0107A is now a prime example of an early spiral galaxy.

The Bar Structure

Approximately two-thirds of spiral galaxies in the present universe have a bar structure, which is believed to act as a “star nursery,” channeling gas from the spiral arms towards the center of the galaxy. This gas forms molecular clouds, which collapse under gravity to create new stars.

The bar in J0107A measures around 50,000 light-years in length. A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, approximately 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion kilometers).

Webb Telescope has studied the morphology of the early initial massive galaxies recently. However, the dynamics are still not understood.

Toshiki Saito, Astronomer, University of Shizuoka

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