A Breakthrough Discovery Outside Time and Space!

In an astonishing revelation, astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have unveiled the earliest and most distant spiral galaxy ever observed. This breathtaking cosmic twin to our Milky Way appeared just 1 billion years post-Big Bang, throwing into question long-held beliefs about galactic formation.

A Stunning Adult Among Cosmic Infants!

Traditionally, it was assumed that galaxies like our own would require billions of years to evolve into the majestic spirals we recognize today, complete with defined arms and dense star clusters. However, Zhúlong, which is so far away that the light reaching us has traveled for 12.8 billion years, shatters that notion with its impressive structure and order.

Meet Zhúlong: The 'Torch Dragon'!

This striking galaxy, dubbed Zhúlong—meaning 'Torch Dragon' in Chinese mythology—draws its name from a powerful celestial creature believed to command light and time itself. Team leader Mengyuan Xiao of the University of Geneva shared, "What makes Zhúlong exceptional is its remarkable resemblance to the Milky Way in terms of shape, size, and stellar mass."

A Cosmic Comparison!

Zhúlong features a stellar disk measuring around 60,000 light-years with a mass equivalent to 100 billion suns. In comparison, our Milky Way's disk is a tad larger, stretching across 100,000 light-years and a stellar mass of approximately 46 billion solar masses—all hinting at a cosmic brotherhood between these two galaxies.

Revolutionary Observations with JWST!

Discovered through the JWST's ANORAMIC survey, spearheaded by researchers like Christina Williams and Oesch from UNIGE, Zhúlong showcases the telescope's unparalleled ability to gather crisp images of multiple cosmic bodies simultaneously. This revolutionary 'pure parallel' mode allows astronomers to explore vast sections of the sky, vital for uncovering rare celestial giants.

The Quest for Cosmic Origins!

As scientists contemplate future explorations of Zhúlong with both JWST and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, they hope to unlock its formation history. Understanding how such a