Why in the news?

• Researchers of National Centre for Radio Astrophysics – Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Pune discovered the Alakananda Galaxy.

Alakananda Galaxy

• What is it?: It is a spiral galaxy, located about 12 billion light-years away
• Features:
  • Two well-defined spiral arms wrapped around a bright central bulge.
  • Has an approximate diameter of 30,000 light-years.
  • A high star-forming galaxy, producing stars at a rate of ~60 solar masses per year.
  • Appears strikingly similar to the Milky Way and was formed when the Milky Way was only 10% of its current age.
  • Discovered using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

Spiral Galaxies

• Spiral galaxies are twisted collections of stars and gas, known for their visually appealing shapes.
• They are composed largely of hot, young stars.
• In such galaxies, stars, gas, and dust arrange themselves into spiral arms radiating outward from the center.

Source: The Indian Express