It's all in the shape: Science reveals what makes Milky Way unique

The shapes and sizes of galaxies are as diverse as the universe itself. Now in a study published in the Nature Astronomy journal, the spotlight is back on the helical shape of our Milky Way.

Such shaped galaxies are remarkably scarce in our galactic vicinity.

According to an official readout of the study, the Milky Way is part of the Supergalactic Plane, which contains several massive galaxy clusters and thousands of individual galaxies. The vast majority of galaxies found here are elliptical galaxies.

What did the scientists do?

Scientists from the Institute for Computational Cosmology at Durham University used a powerful supercomputer, and transported themselves back approximately 13.8 billion years to the early stages of formation of galaxies.

Through simulations, they traced the evolution of our cosmic neighborhood, aiming to decipher the factors contributing to the scarcity of spiral galaxies.

The simulations also showed that galaxies in densely populated clusters, such as the Milky Way's celestial particles, underwent frequent collisions and mergers during the early epochs of the universe.

Also watch |Aliens lurking at the heart of the Milky Way?

Notably, when the galaxies collide, a new type of galaxy can emerge. The merger of two spiral galaxies gives rise to elliptical galaxies.

What is the catch?

The catch is that our universe is replete with elliptical galaxies. But there are very few spiral galaxies if at all.

“It is rare but not a complete anomaly: our simulation reveals the intimate details of the formation of galaxies such as the transformation of spirals into ellipticals through galaxy mergers," said co-author Carlos Frenk with the Institute for Computational Cosmology at Durham University in a statement.

What is the bottom line?

The study suggests that the Milky Way endured a tumultuous cosmic environment resembling a celestial bumper car scenario throughout the age of the universe.