The most astonishing aspect is that this galaxy formed just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang—when the Universe was only about one-tenth of its current age.
This finding contradicts established models and forces scientists to rethink the processes of galaxy formation in the early Universe.
The discovery was made by Indian researchers Rashi Jain and Yogesh Wadadekar from the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Pune. The results have been published in the prestigious journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
What Makes the Alaknanda Galaxy Special?
Thanks to the unique capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope, which can capture infrared light from the most distant corners of the cosmos, astronomers were able to study this remote system in detail.
Alaknanda exhibits a classic spiral structure with two symmetrical arms and a prominent central bulge—features typical of mature disk galaxies like the Milky Way.
The galaxy’s diameter is approximately 30,000 light-years. It shows an exceptionally high star formation rate—about 60 solar masses per year, which is roughly 20 times higher than the current rate in the Milky Way. Around half of its stars formed in just 200 million years—a mere blink in cosmic terms.
Why Has This Discovery Surprised Scientists?
According to classical theories of galaxy formation, spiral structures require billions of years to develop.
Gas must gradually accumulate in a disk, form stable density waves that “draw” the spiral arms, and the system needs to remain relatively undisturbed without destructive collisions.
The early Universe was considered too chaotic and turbulent for such ordered systems to form quickly.
The Alaknanda galaxy defies these expectations, displaying “structural maturity” usually seen in much older galaxies.
“Alaknanda exhibits structural maturity that we typically observe in much older systems,” said Rashi Jain. “This suggests that the physical processes shaping spiral galaxies can occur much faster than we previously thought. It forces us to revisit our theoretical framework.”
The discovery of the Alaknanda galaxy with JWST adds to a series of recent findings indicating that the early Universe was far more “mature” than models predicted. This opens new horizons for understanding cosmic evolution.
Source: Astronomy and Astrophysics (2025).