Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery with the James Webb Space Telescope, revealing an exceptionally large galaxy in the early universe that has been traveling through space for over 12 billion years. The newly discovered galaxy, dubbed the Big Wheel, is estimated to be three times larger than comparable galaxies at its age and has a rotation speed similar to the largest “super-spiral” galaxies observed today.
The Big Wheel formed within the first two billion years after the Big Bang, when the universe was just 15% of its current age. This challenges long-held ideas about how galaxies form and grow. Traditionally, scientists believed that galaxy disks form gradually over a long period through gas flowing into the galaxy or merging with smaller galaxies.
However, the Big Wheel’s rapid growth to a large size without losing its distinctive spiral structure is a surprise. The detailed observations from the James Webb Space Telescope show that it is comparable in size and rotational speed to the largest “super-spiral” galaxies observed today.
The galaxy formed in an unusually crowded region of space, with other galaxies packed closely together ten times denser than typical areas. This dense environment likely provided ideal conditions for the galaxy to grow quickly, allowing it to maintain its spiral disk shape. The gas flowing into the galaxy must have aligned well with its rotation, enabling the disk to grow without being disrupted.
The discovery of the Big Wheel is a fortunate finding, as our current galaxy formation models predicted a less than 2% chance of discovering such a galaxy. Further observations and discoveries of massive early galaxies like the Big Wheel will help astronomers unlock more secrets about how the universe built its structures.
As one lead astronomer noted, “The Big Wheel’s discovery reveals yet another mystery of the early universe, showing that our current models of galaxy evolution still need refinement.” This groundbreaking find opens up new avenues for research and provides a fascinating glimpse into the mysteries of the early universe.
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/big-wheel-version-of-the-milky-way-discovered-in-fortunate-finding