Astronomers Discover New Galaxy Born 12 Billion Light Years Ago

The star formation triggered by the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy in its current approximation to the Milky Way is seen in an illustration. Reuters
The star formation triggered by the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy in its current approximation to the Milky Way is seen in an illustration. Reuters
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Astronomers Discover New Galaxy Born 12 Billion Light Years Ago

The star formation triggered by the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy in its current approximation to the Milky Way is seen in an illustration. Reuters
The star formation triggered by the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy in its current approximation to the Milky Way is seen in an illustration. Reuters

Astronomers have discovered a very young galaxy that looks surprisingly like our Milky Way, appearing as a ring of light at a distance of 12 billion light years in the dark universe. The galaxy, named SPT0418-47, is so far away its light has taken more than 12 billion years to reach us.

Astronomers see it as it was when the Universe was just 1.4 billion years old, 10 percent of its current age, according to data by European Southern Observatory (ESO), a partner in this discovery. At the time, these baby galaxies were just beginning to develop, AFP reported.

The galaxy, which was discovered using the ALMA Telescope in northern Chile, looks surprisingly like our Milky Way and has a similar rotating disc and large group of stars packed tightly around the galactic center. This discovery surprised astronomers who never thought such a galaxy could be formed 12 billion light years ago. "This is the first time a bulge has been seen this early in the history of the Universe, making SPT0418-47 the most distant Milky Way look-alike," ESO said.

This unexpected discovery suggests no disturbances or instabilities in the young galaxy which seems very calm. This made astronomers believe that "this Universe may not be as chaotic as once believed and raises many questions on how a young galaxy could have formed so soon after the Big Bang."

Co-author Simona Vegetti, from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, said: "What we found was quite puzzling; despite forming stars at a high rate, and therefore being the site of highly energetic processes, SPT0418-47 is the most well-ordered galaxy disc ever observed in the early Universe."

The findings were published in the journal Nature.



Syria Seeks EU Help to Battle Massive Wildfires

FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS
FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS
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Syria Seeks EU Help to Battle Massive Wildfires

FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS
FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS

Syria’s minister of emergencies and disaster management on Tuesday requested support from the European Union to battle wildfires that have swept through a vast stretch of forested land.

The fires have been burning for six days, with Syrian emergency crews struggling to bring them under control amid strong winds and severe drought.

Neighboring countries Jordan, Lebanon and Türkiye have already dispatched firefighting teams to assist in the response.

“We asked the European Union for help in extinguishing the fires,” minister Raed al-Saleh said on X, adding Cyprus was expected to send aid on Tuesday, AFP reported.

“Fear of the fires spreading due to strong winds last night prompted us to evacuate 25 families to ensure their safety without any human casualties,” he added.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) office in Syria, the fires impacted “some 5,000 persons, including displacements, across 60 communities.”

An estimated 100 square kilometers (40 square miles) of forest and farmland -- more than three percent of Syria’s forest cover -- have burned, OCHA told AFP.

At least seven towns in Latakia province have been evacuated as a precaution.

Efforts to extinguish the fires have been hindered by “rugged terrain, the absence of firebreaks, strong winds, and the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance”, Saleh said.

With man-made climate change increasing the likelihood and intensity of droughts and wildfires worldwide, Syria has also been battered by heatwaves and low rainfall.

In June, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said Syria had “not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years.”