Theories about the existence in the universe indicate that galaxies like the Milky Way They began to form between 7 billion and 8 billion years after the Big Bang, an event that would have occurred 13.8 billion years ago.
That is why it is truly surprising that a galaxy as developed as ours has been found, at a distance of more than 11 billion light years away. It completely changes the perception of how the formation of the universe is understood.
And of course it opens the possibility of the existence of life and advanced civilization in the early universe. It was all achieved thanks to the impressive reach of the James Webb Space Telescope.
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.
They discover the twin galaxy of the #Milky Way farthest ever observed, ceers-2112. It would have been formed 11.7 billion years ago, when the universe was only 2.1 billion years old, 15% of its current age, which is estimated at 13.8 billion years. #galaxy pic.twitter.com/MFwfjNf96N
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“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.
Astrophysicist Luca Costantin made a groundbreaking discovery during his vacation in Cantabria, Spain. While on a break, he examined images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, launched in 2021, and identified a galaxy called ceers-2112, which resembles a “twin sister” of the… pic.twitter.com/KYPRIn0FZW
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