What makes this discovery a game-changer? Find out in our 1-minute read.
- A team of astronomers who are part of the PANORAMIC Survey have found Zhúlóng – the most distant spiral galaxy ever seen.
- Meaning ‘Torch Dragon’ in Chinese mythology, Zhúlóng dates back just one billion years after the Big Bang.
- Zhúlóng looks surprisingly like our own Milky Way, with a mature spiral structure that shouldn’t exist so early in the Universe’s history.
- This discovery challenges the belief that such complex galaxies take billions of years to form, suggesting the Universe evolved faster than previously thought.
- The galaxy’s mix of old and young stars hints that mature, stable galaxies could appear far earlier than scientists expected.
- Understanding Zhúlóng could reveal how galaxies like our own formed - and why such structures are rare in the early, chaotic universe
Curious how this ancient galaxy could change our understanding of the cosmos? Read the full story to explore the science behind Zhúlóng and what it means for the universe’s history