At a time when the Universe was barely a few billion years old, there was a galaxy remarkably similar to ours. Astronomers aren’t quite sure what to make of the new discovery – a distant formation known as ‘ceers-2112’ was recently identified by an international team of researchers using analysis of images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.
While initial analysis of the images failed to reveal much more than the shape of the hazy blob, further investigation using the wavelength range made possible by Hubble revealed that this ancient system is a complex spiral structure with compartments, just like the Milky Way – only slightly smaller.
Galaxies come in all shapes, sizes and emit light of varying intensity, which actually reveals their evolutionary history. Some are large, with unclear outlines, some are smaller and irregular in shape, some are huge and “springy”.
Then there are those like ours, with stars and gas concentrated in radiating lines that curve like ribbons…
Although various factors influence galaxy shape, it has long been believed that complex galaxy shapes take time. As a general rule, spiral galaxies like the Milky Way are not thought to have existed until some eight billion years ago.
Nevertheless, scientists, with the analysis of the received information about “ceers-2112” suggest that this formation looked quite developed only two billion years after the Big Bang.
Although not all the details of the galaxy’s shape, which is a new topic of research, are yet known, the discovery of a thickened “bar” running through its center is enough to convince astronomers that “ceers-2112” is extremely well developed for its age.
“Almost all spiral galaxies have such a center,” says Alexander de la Vega, an astronomer at the University of California, Riverside.
The barred forms further suggest that galaxies matured and became ordered much faster than we previously thought, which means that some aspects of our theories about the formation and evolution of galaxies need revision, writes the Science Alert portal.
Galaxies are more or less huge concentrations of dust and gas that coalesce under the influence of gravity.
Where enough material gathers in any one place, nuclear fusion can result in sparks that are actually stars, and their less sparkling offspring, planets.
Meanwhile, the sum of the inertia contained in the swirling dust and the zooming sun can cause the galaxy to spin.
A mixture of the pull of gravity and the inertia of the falling masses – can eventually flatten the galactic patch into a disc shape in terms of shape change.
Because some stars are pulled into less circular orbits than others, aberrations in the orbits can slowly add up, influencing other stellar travels to fit into the various patterns we see as bands.
In turn, the bar-like structures can affect the expansion of objects in the galaxy, producing huge ripples that appear as spirals as the galaxy spins.
Shorter time to form a magnificent vortex
As envisioned, galaxy formation should require persistent forces acting over long periods. Still, the discovery of the shapes and mechanisms that govern ceers-2112 could mean rethinking what it takes to turn a nebulous blob into a magnificent vortex.
The new discovery joins a string of recent unexpected discoveries about the conditions of the early universe’s development, galaxies that shine too brightly, or premature black holes that grow too fast.
As James Webb continues to deliver stunning images of the cosmos in its infancy, we will no doubt learn not only how galaxies like ceers-2112 formed, but also what our own galaxy once looked like.
The research was published in the journal Nature.
