Five reasons why this discovery matters in our 1-minute read
- The Milky Way, like many galaxies, is made of two stacked disks – hence pancake – one thick and ancient, one thin and young.
- Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers traced the evolution of these dual disks across 11 billion years.
- Galaxies grow up at different speeds. In other words, big galaxies like the Milky Way formed their thin, flat layers much earlier than smaller galaxies did. This means the size of a galaxy affects how quickly it changes and creates new stars.
- In the early Universe, galaxies were chaotic and full of turbulent gas, sparking rapid star formation. As more stars formed, their gravity helped calm the chaos, allowing galaxies to settle into the thin, flat, pancake-like layers we see today.
- Webb’s findings help pinpoint when the Milky Way’s own thin disk emerged, offering fresh clues to our galaxy’s history. By understanding this timeline, astronomers can better explain how the conditions for stars, planets, and eventually life developed in our galaxy.
With Webb’s resolution and unique ability to see through dust and highlight faint old stars, we can identify the two-disk structure of galaxies and measure their thickness separately
Takafumi Tsukui
Curious how these cosmic pancakes shape our place in the universe? Read the full article that explains how Webb's study of galactic pancakes is unlocking the history of our own Milky Way
