{"id":627259,"date":"2026-05-06T17:38:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T17:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/627259\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T17:38:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T17:38:09","slug":"this-galaxy-has-several-times-more-stars-than-the-milky-way-formed-12-billion-years-ago-and-does-not-rotate-at-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/627259\/","title":{"rendered":"This Galaxy Has Several Times More Stars Than the Milky Way, Formed 12 Billion Years Ago, and Does Not Rotate at All"},"content":{"rendered":"

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed a slow-rotating galaxy, XMM-VID1-2075, from the early universe, challenging our understanding of galaxy evolution. This massive galaxy, located at a redshift around 12 billion years ago, presents a unique case that could change how astronomers view the dynamics of galaxies in their infancy.<\/p>\n

For years, astronomers thought that galaxies in the early universe spun at high speeds, gradually losing their rotation over time as they merged with others. However, the observation of XMM-VID1-2075 shows a galaxy in an advanced state of evolution, yet without the typical rotational movement seen in other large galaxies today.<\/p>\n

A New Kind of Galaxy<\/p>\n

Today, most large galaxies are held together by organized rotation. However, there is a class of galaxies, known as \u201cslow rotators,\u201d where stars move in random, chaotic directions. These galaxies are typically no longer forming stars, and they are rare in the local universe. According to Dr. Ben Forrest<\/a>, an astronomer at the University of California, Davis, <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s something only seen in the most massive, mature galaxies that are closer to us in space and time,\u201d he said. \u201cThis one in particular did not show any evidence of rotation, which was surprising and very interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GalaxyGalaxy XMM-VID1-2075. Credit: Nature Astronomy<\/p>\n

XMM-VID1-2075 is one of the most massive galaxies from the early universe, with several times the number of stars as our own Milky Way<\/a>. However, what sets it apart is its lack of rotational movement, a characteristic typically associated with older, more evolved galaxies. <\/p>\n

A Look Back at the Beginning<\/p>\n

This discovery, published in Nature Astronomy<\/a>, was made possible by the advanced capabilities of JWST, which utilizes infrared technology to observe the faintest and most distant objects in the universe. Due to the redshift, a phenomenon where light from distant objects shifts to longer, redder wavelengths as the universe expands, XMM-VID1-2075 is being observed as it appeared roughly 12 billion years ago, when the universe was still under 2 billion years old.<\/p>\n

As explained by Dr. Forrest, this galaxy is particularly intriguing because, despite its massive size, it stopped forming new stars long ago, making it an ideal target for further study. <\/p>\n

\u201cPrevious MAGAZ3NE observations had confirmed this was one of the most massive galaxies in the early Universe, with already several times as many stars as our Milky Way, and also confirmed that it was no longer forming new stars, making it a compelling target for follow-up observations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SpectrumSpectrum and spatial map of the galaxy XMM-VID1-2075 observed by the James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: Nature Astronomy<\/p>\n

While today\u2019s galaxies have nice, orderly movements, XMM-VID1-2075 is acting unusual, nothing like what scientists expect from a galaxy back in the early universe.<\/p>\n

Why Did This Galaxy Become a Slow Rotator?<\/p>\n

The key question raised by this discovery is how XMM-VID1-2075 became a slow rotator so early in the universe\u2019s history. Slow rotators in the nearby universe are typically the result of galaxy mergers that disrupt their rotational motion. However, Dr. Forrest suggests that this galaxy\u2019s chaotic motion might not be due to multiple mergers, but rather the result of a single, high-energy collision between two galaxies moving in opposite directions. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor this particular galaxy, we see a large excess of light off to the side. And so that\u2019s suggestive of some other object which has come in and is interacting with the system and potentially changing its dynamics,\u201d Dr. Forrest said this in the UC Davis statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"XmmXMM-VID1-2075 (left) lacks color variation, suggesting no rotation, in contrast to the rotating galaxies on the right. Credit: Nature Astronomy<\/p>\n

This interpretation is supported by the galaxy\u2019s unusual light patterns, which suggest that an external perturbation is affecting its dynamical state. In contrast to a gradual succession of mergers, such an interaction might explain why the galaxy does not rotate. If confirmed, it changes how we think galaxies can evolve fast without following the usual merger path.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed a slow-rotating galaxy, XMM-VID1-2075, from the early universe, challenging our…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":627260,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[79,193],"class_list":["post-627259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=627259"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627259\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/627260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=627259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=627259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=627259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}