Research from Leiden University has found that the REBELS-25 galaxy, despite being much “younger” than our own, has a very organized structure and rotation. This is in contrast to what we typically see in other early galaxies, which are often chaotic and localized.
Jacqueline Hodge, an astronomer at Leiden University, points out that according to current understanding, most early galaxies were small and messy. The process of merging galaxies and evolving into shapes is usually very slow. Our Milky Way has taken billions of years to develop its current neat and stable shape.
Image of the galaxy REBELS-25 ALMA. Image: ESO/NAOJ/NRAO
REBELS-25 is about 13.1 billion light years away from Earth, meaning that observations now are actually observations of the galaxy when the universe was only about 700 million years old (the age of the universe is about 13.8 billion years). However, what is amazing is that REBELS-25 has become so orderly in such a short period of time.
The galaxy's rotation and structure were observed using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope in northern Chile. And Rowland notes that REBELS-25 would be the most distant galaxy to show such structures to date.
Still, Andrew Blain, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Leicester, said that while REBELS-25 is “a little unusual,” it is not a revolution in our understanding. He also noted that more research is needed before scientists change their views on galaxy formation.
But are galaxies like REBELS-25 the rare exception? That is the question scientists are asking. If such early galaxies with such ordered structures are common, then current models of how the universe formed and evolved will need to be reconsidered," the researcher shared.
"The discovery of REBELS-25 was a huge surprise to the astronomical community," said Dr Dave Clements, an astrophysicist at Imperial College London.
"The early universe was thought to be a chaotic environment where galaxies were constantly colliding and merging. However, REBELS-25 appears to have an incredibly stable disk structure, which is completely opposite to what we thought."
Ha Trang (according to CNN)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/phat-hien-thien-ha-co-dai-thach-thuc-moi-gia-thuyet-ve-su-hinh-thanh-cua-vu-tru-post317256.html
Comment (0)