A new image of an ancient, distant galaxy could help scientists understand not only how it formed, but also the origins of our Milky Way. At over 12 billion years old, BRI 1335-0417 is the oldest and most distant known spiral galaxy in our Universe. Lead author Dr Takafumi Tsukui said the state-of-the-art ALMA telescope was able to view this ancient galaxy in much more detail.

“We were particularly interested in how gas moves within and passes through galaxies,” he said. Tsukui. “Gas is a key component of star formation and provides important clues about how galaxies actually drive star formation.” In this case, the researchers discovered that the In addition to being able to detect the movement of gas, the formation of seismic waves is a first for this type of early galaxy. The research was published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. “The vertical oscillatory motion of the disk is caused by external factors, such as new gas entering the galaxy or contact with other small galaxies,” he said. Tsukui. –

Both options would provide galaxies with new fuel for star formation. Additionally, our study revealed rod-like structures within the intervertebral disc. The bar discovered at BRI 1335-0417 is the most remote structure of its kind known. ” BRI 1335-0417 is so far away that its light takes a long time to reach Earth. The images seen through telescopes today are a throwback to the earliest days of galaxies, when the universe was only 10% of its current age. “We discovered that early galaxies formed stars much faster than modern galaxies.

“We found that early galaxies formed stars much faster than modern galaxies. This is also true for BRI 1335-0417. BRI 1335-0417 has a mass similar to that of the Milky Way. “They form stars hundreds of times faster,” said study co-author Emily Wisnioski. “We wanted to understand how gas is supplied to keep up with such rapid rates of star formation. Spiral structures are rare in the early Universe, and their precise formation is difficult to understand. is also unknown. This study also provides important information about the most likely scenario.” Although it is impossible to directly observe the evolution of galaxies because our observations only provide snapshots, computer simulations can help reconstruct history. ”