Indian Astronomers Discover Ancient Spiral Galaxy Alaknanda

Indian astronomers Rashi Jain and Yogesh Wadadekar discovered Alaknanda, an ancient spiral galaxy challenging current formation theories. Spotted by the James Webb Space Telescope, it formed surprisingly early, just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang, revealing a mature structure similar to our Milky Way.

• Indian astronomers discover Alaknanda, an implausibly old spiral galaxy.
• Galaxy formed remarkably early, 1.5 billion years post-Big Bang.
• Challenges existing theories of galaxy formation in the early universe.
• Exhibits a mature, grand-design spiral structure, like the Milky Way.
• Discovery made using the powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
• Findings were published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics in November 2025.

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