Scientists have found a galaxy similar to the Milky Way
Scientists have found a galaxy similar to the Milky Way
ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA
Astronomers found a galaxy that is surprisingly similar to our Milky Way. It has a spiral structure with a straight strip of stars and gas passing through the center and is much more massive.
This is stated in the study, Posted In Nature’s Scientific Journal, writes Reuters.
The distant J0107A galaxy was noticed as it appeared 11.1 billion years ago. Researchers used the Space Telescope James Webba to study it.
They determined that the mass of the galaxy with its stars and gas is more than 10 times the mass of the Milky Way. In addition, the stars are formed 300 times faster. However, J0107A is more compact than the Milky Way.
This discovery raised an important question: how was such a massive galaxy formed in the early universe?
Although there are now several galaxies in which star formation occurs at a speed similar to J0107A, almost all of them are in the process of galactic merger or collision.
In the first few billion years after the Big Bang, which occurred 13.8 billion years ago, the galaxies were more turbulent and richer in gas. This contributed to the extreme bursts of star formation.
Compared to other galaxies in the distant universe, J0107A is very similar to modern spiral galaxies. Therefore, scientists believe that theories about the formation of modern galactic structures may need to be revised.
This study is evidence that spiral galaxies appeared much earlier than it was thought. J0107A is currently one of the earliest known examples of the galaxy with a jumper (bar).
About two -thirds of spiral galaxies today have a bar. It is believed that it serves as a kind of « starry nursery », which draws gas inside from spiral sleeves.
Part of the gas forms the so -called molecular clouds. Gravity causes their compression of these clouds, resulting in small centers that heat up and become new stars.
The length of the bar, which is part of J0107A, is about 50 thousand light years.
Recall astronomers first recorded The « match » of two galaxies in the universe.
