In a breakthrough that could rewrite astronomy textbooks, Indian researchers have discovered a massive, perfectly structured spiral galaxy from when the Universe was just 1.5 billion years old. Named Alaknanda, the galaxy challenges long-held theories about how early galaxies formed and evolved after the Big Bang.
The discovery was made using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the world’s most powerful space observatory.
A Galaxy From the Universe’s Childhood
The Universe is about 13.8 billion years old, which means astronomers are seeing Alaknanda as it existed 12 billion years ago, just 10% into cosmic history. At that time, galaxies were expected to be small, chaotic, and irregular — nothing like today’s fully developed spirals such as the Milky Way.
Instead, PhD researcher Rashi Jain and her supervisor Prof. Yogesh Wadadekar spotted a massive, beautifully organised structure with symmetrical arms, a bright central bulge, and star clusters lined up like “beads on a string.”
Prof. Wadadekar admitted his initial reaction was disbelief.
Why This Discovery Is So Shocking
What makes Alaknanda extraordinary?
- It is one-third the size of the Milky Way, spanning about 30,000 light-years.
- It contains 10 billion stars.
- It formed spiral arms and a stable disc within a few hundred million years — an incredibly rapid pace by cosmic standards.
- It is producing new stars 20–30 times faster than our Milky Way does today.
This level of structure and scale at such an early age contradicts the prevailing theory that the early Universe was too turbulent for such ordered galaxies to exist.
James Webb’s View of the Early Universe Is Changing Everything
Since JWST began operations, astronomers have discovered more ancient galaxies — but most looked like faint smudges. Only rarely have well-formed spirals appeared. Alaknanda is one of the clearest and most detailed examples yet, pointing to a more mature Universe in its early stages than previously believed.
“This discovery is a rare exception,” says Jain. “And such exceptions force us to rethink what we know about galaxy formation.”
Is the Galaxy Still There Today?
Because Alaknanda is 12 billion light-years away, we see it as it once was — not as it is now.
When asked what the galaxy looks like today, Prof. Wadadekar gives a playful but accurate answer:
“Wait another 12 billion years to find out.”
For now, the team plans follow-up studies using JWST and ALMA in Chile to decode how such a young galaxy built complex spiral arms so quickly.
