First spiral galaxy in early Universe stuns astronomers
Theories of galaxy formation held that the Universe was still too chaotic a place to allow such a perfectly formed or "grand-design" spiral to form.
It should take far longer for gravity to bring matter into thin, neat discs.
But a team reporting in Nature says the galaxy BX442 got the gravitational "kick" it needed to form a spiral from a smaller "dwarf galaxy" orbiting it.
They first spotted BX442 as the one and only spiral-looking object in a survey of 300 galaxies carried out by the Hubble space telescope, when they were shocked to see what looked to be a spiral galaxy.
Sources and more information:
• Dwarf 'kicks' first spiral galaxy
Herschel-Hubble spirals combined Astronomers have spotted the earliest known spiral galaxy, dating to just three billion years after the Big Bang. Theories of galaxy formation held that the Universe was still too chaotic a place to allow such a perfectly formed or "grand-design" spiral to form. It should take far longer for gravity to bring matter...
• Hubble spots ancient spiral galaxy that SHOULD NOT EXIST
Hubble spots ancient spiral galaxy that SHOULD NOT EXIST Milky-Way-like shape 'should be space train wreck' Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have spotted an ancient spiral galaxy that's so neat and tidy it shouldn't even exist. Although there are plenty of spiral galaxies these days - including our own Milky Way - in the early...
• Astronomers report the earliest spiral galaxy ever seen, a shocking discovery
• Astronomers discover oldest spiral galaxy ever - Ottawa Citizen
• Ancient spiral galaxy bewilders astronomers (+video)
( via bbc.co.uk )
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