December 18, 2020
A popular theory of galaxy formation suggests that small galaxies merged to form larger ones. But galaxy C1-23152 – 12 billion light-years from Earth – apparently formed itself from gas in the early universe, via exceedingly rapid star formation.
C1-23152 rose to a mass of 200 billion suns in just 500 million years. At the height of its star formation, C1-23152 produced roughly 450 stars per year, or more than one per day. The Milky Way, by contrast, produces about two stars per year. Image via INAF/ HST/ NASA/ ESA.
An international team of astronomers said on December 10, 2020, that they’ve been able to piece together the growth and rapid evolution of a large galaxy in the early universe. This galaxy, known as C1-23152, existed at a time when the universe was just 1.8 billion years old (in contrast to its current estimated age of about 13.8 billion years). The astronomers acquired 17 hours of observations – coordinated by Paolo Saracco of the Istituto Na