A Cosmic Discovery: Two Indian Astronomers Uncover Giant Spiral Galaxy Like Milky Way – 12 Billion Light-Years Away From Earth, Names It Alaknanda, Here’s All You Need To Know

Two Indian astronomers have identified a massive grand-design spiral galaxy located nearly 12 billion light-years away. They named the galaxy Alaknanda. Researchers Rashi Jain and Yogesh Wadadekar used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to make this discovery. The galaxy formed just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang, during a period when scientists believed such organised structures could not exist.

 Alaknanda shows two clear spiral arms and a bright central bulge stretching across 30,000 light-years. Its early formation challenges long-standing theories that the young universe mostly produced irregular and chaotic galaxies.

Galaxy Shows Rare Symmetry and Rapid Star Formation

Alaknanda displays a level of maturity that scientists did not expect from this early stage of the universe. Half of its stars formed within roughly 200 million years, indicating extremely fast growth. The galaxy forms new stars at nearly 60 solar masses per year, which is about twenty times faster than the present-day Milky Way.

This rapid activity suggests that processes like gas inflow and disc settling may have operated more quickly during the universe’s early years. The speed at which Alaknanda built nearly ten billion solar masses in stars continues to surprise astronomers.

JWST and Gravitational Lensing Reveal Galaxy in Detail

The James Webb Space Telescope captured detailed images of Alaknanda as it appeared near the large galaxy cluster Abell 2744. The cluster’s strong gravitational pull acted like a magnifying lens, brightening Alaknanda and allowing its spiral arms to be seen with clarity.

The research team analysed data across 21 filters to measure the galaxy’s size, brightness, and star-formation rate. Their study, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, describes Alaknanda as one of the earliest and most organised grand-design spirals ever recorded. The galaxy’s symmetry makes it especially valuable for studying early galaxy behaviour.

Discovery Prompts New Questions About Galaxy Formation

Scientists studying Alaknanda now believe the early universe may have built complex structures much earlier than earlier models predicted. The galaxy’s symmetry raises questions about how its spiral arms formed, whether through smooth gas accumulation or possible interaction with a neighbouring system.

Future studies with JWST and ALMA will examine the galaxy’s rotation and internal movement to find clearer answers. Researchers say that if galaxies could mature this quickly, then conditions suitable for planet formation may also have appeared sooner. The discovery encourages a wider re-evaluation of how early galaxies evolved.

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