Scientists reveal how newborn galaxies went bananas at dawn of time but it’s not all about shape

Astronomers analysing images from the James Webb Space Telescope have challenged long-held assumptions about the appearance of newborn galaxies. Contrary to the widely held belief that they would resemble orbs or spidery discs, the tentative conclusion from a team of astronomers suggests their shapes were akin to bananas, pickles, cigars, or surfboards.

The finding is scheduled to be published in the Astrophysical Journal with the title 'Galaxies Going Bananas', the New York Times reported.

"This is both a surprising and unexpected result, though there were already hints of it with Hubble," Pandya was quoted as saying by the New York Times.

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The analysis of approximately 4,000 newborn galaxies at the dawn of time raises potentially redefines humanity's understanding of how galaxies emerge.

Joel Primack, an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, noted that the new findings build on earlier observations from the Hubble telescope which indicate that the earliest galaxies might have had shapes resembling pickles.

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The research team reportedly focused on images from the Extended Groth Strip, a patch of sky smaller than a full moon, as part of the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) survey.

But why Galaxies are shaped like pickles?

Astronomers now theorise that galaxies originated from random fluctuations in the density of matter and energy during the Big Bang.

Dr Pandya and his team investigated the three-dimensional shapes of galaxies and analysing their two-dimensional projections on the sky.

Rather than appearing round or circular, these early galaxies often resembled cigars and bananas, challenging previous assumptions about their forms.

What does it mean?

The implications of this discovery extend beyond mere visual appearance. The results could offer insight into the properties of dark matter, a mysterious substance that outweighs atomic matter in the universe.

While skepticism remains, the connection between galaxy shapes and dark matter opens new avenues for exploration in astrophysics.

Pandya's team now plans to extend their observations to other regions of the cosmos, aiming to identify galaxies with different 3-D shapes and conduct follow-up spectroscopic observations.

(With inputs from agencies)