Galaxies in early universe looked like surfboards and pool noodles

Researchers analyzing distant galaxies using images from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have found that most galaxies in the early universe were flat and elongated like surfboards and pool noodles while galaxies shaped like spheres or volleyballs made up the smallest fraction of their detections - a finding that could reshape our understanding of galactic evolution.

The team, led by Viraj Pandya, a NASA Hubble Fellow at Columbia University in New York, focused on a vast field of near-infrared images from the Webb telescope, known as the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) Survey, analyzing distant galaxies when the universe was only 600 million to 6 billion years old.

The researchers were able to quickly characterize many CEERS galaxies, and model their 3D geometries, thanks to Webb’s sensitivity, high-resolution images, and specialization in infrared light.

"Galaxies that look like pool noodles or surfboards seem to be very common in the early universe, which is surprising, since they are uncommon nearby," said Pandya.

Wondering into which category our Milky Way galaxy would fall if we were to rewind the cosmic clock?

According to Haowen Zhang, a PhD candidate at the University of Arizona in Tucson and the co-author of this study, our home galaxy might have appeared more like a surfboard. The hypothesis is based partly on the new evidence obtained from the Webb telescope. Theorists have effectively "wound back the clock" to gauge the Milky Way's mass billions of years ago, and this estimation corresponds to the galaxy's shape during that period.

The researchers acknowledge the need for an even larger sample size from Webb to further refine the properties and exact locations of distant galaxies. Additionally, ample time and effort is required to fine-tune and update existing models to better reflect the precise geometries of distant galaxies.

Making waves 🌊New Webb data shows that many galaxies in the early universe looked like surfboards or pool noodles, while others resembled volleyballs or frisbees. This discovery could reshape our understanding of how galaxies evolve: https://t.co/ClgETWjrMz pic.twitter.com/aZgx3ADUbd

— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) January 17, 2024