galaxies
The Oldest Known Spiral Galaxy Has Ripples Like the Surface of a Pond
Astronomers have detected pond-like ripples across the gaseous disk of an ancient galaxy. What caused the ripples, and what do…
The Early Universe Was Surprisingly Filled With Spiral Galaxies
The Milky Way is a mature, grand spiral galaxy, and so are many galaxies around us. Astronomers have assumed that…
Hubble Sees a Random Collection of Galaxies, Perfectly Lined Up
This new image from the Hubble Space Telescope looks like a series of smaller spiral galaxies are falling out of…
Did the Last Great Galactic Merger Create the Milky Way's Bar?
About 8-11 billion years ago, a dwarf galaxy merged with the Milky Way, adding 50 billion solar masses of stars,…
The Early Universe Had No Problem Making Barred Spiral Galaxies
Spiral galaxies like the Milky Way are like cosmic snowflakes—no two are exactly alike. For many years, astronomers thought spirals…
Adolescent Galaxies are Incandescent and Contain Unexpected Elements
If the Universe has adolescent galaxies, they're the ones that formed about 2 to 3 billion years after the Big…
There Aren’t Many Galaxies Like The Milky Way Nearby. Now We Know Why
The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy, maybe even a grand design spiral galaxy. We can't be sure from…
A Galaxy Only 350 Million Years Old Had Surprising Amounts of Metal
Astrophysicists working with the JWST have found a surprising amount of metal in a galaxy only 350 million years after…
The Universe Can't Hide Behind the Zone of Avoidance Any Longer
The Solar System sits within the galactic plane, so it was once impossible to look past the core of the…
Mystery Solved. How We Get Ultra-Compact Dwarf Galaxies
I have been fascinated by galaxies for most of my adult life. I find it amazing that, just as we…