Australian astronomers have found a galaxy close to the Milky Way with the same formation of clusters and star formations meaning there may be life in another galaxy similar to ours, according to ANU cosmologist and astrophysicist Dr Brad Tucker.
“The fact is when we look at the Milky Way, we see distinct parts of it, this is what we call thick disk and thin disk, we kind of see these groupings or bands of stars based on their age or their composition,” he told Sky News.
Dr Tucker said it was previously believed to be because of “some sort of violent merger” of galaxies colliding but the intergalactic similarities are casting doubt on this theory.
“New data led by Australian astronomers actually looked at a very nearby galaxy in almost the same level of detail as the Milky Way and saw that it is also structured like this.”
“This is actually quite important because if the formations of galaxies at least are similar, then the formations of stars in those galaxies can be similar, then the formation of planets in those galaxies can be similar, then the potential for hosting things in space can be similar as well.”