Astronomers are puzzled after discovering a galaxy that defies explanation (photo included).

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered a spiral galaxy with an organized structure that measures approximately 32,000 light-years in diameter. It existed just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang. However, galaxies in the early Universe are typically more clumpy and lack an organized structure. This finding has puzzled astronomers. The study has been published on the arXiv preprint server, reports Live Science.

Astronomers have unexpectedly found a massive spiral galaxy with an organized structure in the early Universe, named A2744-GDSp-z4, which measures 32,000 light-years in diameter. The fact that it existed just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang may alter astronomers' understanding of galaxy formation, particularly spiral galaxies.

Generally, the older a galaxy is, the farther it is from Earth. Astronomers can estimate the age of a galaxy and its distance using redshift. As light travels through vast expanses of space, it shifts toward the red part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

As the Universe expands, older stars are found farther away. The red part of the spectrum indicates the longest wavelength of light, so stars that are very distant typically appear redder due to redshift. The James Webb Space Telescope is capable of observing the most distant stars and galaxies in space, which are also the oldest.

However, spiral galaxies have mostly been found closer to us, meaning they are generally younger than the recently discovered galaxy A2744-GDSp-z4. Such spiral galaxies with organized structures, like this one, exhibit two distinctly defined spiral arms. Previously, astronomers had discovered very few galaxies with a redshift greater than 3.0. This indicates that the light from these galaxies has been traveling to us for about 11.5 billion years.

In contrast, the galaxy A2744-GDSp-z4 has a redshift of 4.03, which means that light from it has been traveling to us for over 12 billion years. According to scientists, calculations indicate that this galaxy formed about 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang, or 12.3 billion years ago. They also note that the galaxy has grown to such a massive size too quickly, although it is still three times smaller than the Milky Way. Nevertheless, for galaxies in the early Universe, this size is considered very large.

The study of the star formation rate in the galaxy A2744-GDSp-z4 revealed that it accumulated a mass equivalent to 10 billion solar masses in just a few hundred million years. This contradicts the model of spiral galaxy formation.

Scientists state that spiral galaxies in the early Universe primarily have clumpy and turbulent structures. However, a spiral galaxy with an organized structure has been discovered.

Astronomers believe that the rapid growth of the galaxy and its organized structure may have been influenced by the presence of a stellar bar. This is a gas structure found in most galaxies that fuels star formation and acts as a channel for gas movement between the inner and outer regions of the galaxy. This gas movement contributes to the galaxy's growth and the formation of its shape.

It is possible that the ancient spiral galaxy formed as a result of the merger of two smaller galaxies, although this seems less likely given its organized structure, astronomers say.