"Seismic Ripples Reveal Surprising Abundance of Early Spiral Galaxies"
Astronomers using the ALMA observatory have studied BRI 1335-0417, the oldest known spiral galaxy at over 12 billion years old, to gain insights into early galaxy formation. They observed seismic wave patterns and a bar structure within the galaxy, which are indicative of dynamic star formation processes and the galaxy's growth. The findings, which include the most distant known galactic bar, help explain the rapid star formation rates in early galaxies and provide a glimpse into the past when the Universe was only 10 percent of its current age. The research contributes to our understanding of how spiral structures form and the evolution of galaxies like our own Milky Way.