Utilizing the James Webb Telescope, astronomers have unearthed a remarkable finding: the galaxy XMM-VID1-2075, which existed when the universe was under two billion years old, exhibits no rotation. This characteristic was previously only documented in the most massive and well-developed galaxies, observed much later in cosmic history and nearer to us, according to Ben Forrest of UC Davis, the lead author of the study published in Nature Astronomy. Current models predict that the earliest galaxies ought to be spinning due to gravitational forces and the inflow of gas. Lacking rotation is typically a state attained only after eons of mergers, which randomize stellar motions. Consequently, the discovery that XMM-VID1-2075 is already a “slow rotator,” possessing several times the stellar population of the Milky Way and ceasing new star formation, was highly unexpected. The scientific community posits that this static condition might stem not from numerous mergers, but rather from a single impact between two galaxies spinning in opposite directions. Evidence supporting this includes an excess of light emanating from the galaxy’s side, suggesting interaction with another body. Researchers plan to continue their search for comparable non-rotating galaxies in the nascent cosmos to rigorously test established models of galaxy evolution.
About the Author
