The universe has an expansion of 13.8 billion light years, since the Big Bang was generated to our region. It means that what we see in that region of the cosmos is simple matter in its purest state of formation.
If we look from Earth, in that “principle of existence” there are only primitive elements. We would have to go halfway, about seven and eight billion light years from the Big Bang, to be able to find something similar to what we have in the Solar System.
That is why it is truly surprising and at the same time terrifying to have found a galaxy like the Milky Way 11 billion light years away; That is, when the universe was barely 2 billion years old.
It’s crazier to think that the scientist who discovered this twin of the Milky Way, Luca Constantin, was on vacation when he happened to check a work email with images of James Webb and saw the discovery.
The importance of Ceers-2112
The galaxy in question is called Ceers-2112, and it is specifically located 11.7 billion light years from Earth. The discovery was made by a team of astrophysicists led by Luca Costantin, researcher at the Center for Astrobiology (CAB, INTA-CSIC) and lead author of a study published in Natureaccording to the Agency SYNC.
“Going against what was expected, this new discovery reveals that galaxies similar to the Milky Way already existed 11.7 billion years ago, when the universe was only 15% of its current age,” Costantin’s team says in its report.
Ceers-2112 is similar to the Milky Way in many ways. It has a barred spiral structure, a similar mass and a very similar chemical composition. This suggests that the Milky Way could have resembled Ceers-2112 in its early years.
The discovery of Ceers-2112 is important because it provides new clues about the formation and evolution of spiral galaxies. The galaxy is a testament to how quickly galaxies formed in the early universe.
Its size, with a diameter of about 200,000 light years, approximately double that of the Milky Way. Its chemical composition is primarily made of hydrogen and helium, with a small amount of heavier elements.
While its structure is that of a barred spiral, with a bar of stars and gas that runs through its center.