How long does it take to form a Spiral Galaxy?

[DarkStar7]

http://www.universetoday.com/96344/oldest-spiral-galaxy-in-the-universe-discovered/alice_shapley_spiral_galaxy_art_july_2012_/

[acey]

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/Ancient-Grand-Design-Spiral-Discovered-162889476.html

[sologuitarist61]

Interesting to note that they think that the passage of a dwarf galaxy passing close by may well have triggered the formation of the spiral. I wonder if that applies to all spirals? Both the Milky Way and Andromeda have small satellite galaxies - do others?

[DarkStar7]

Looks to me that some objects at the distance where the universe is supposed to be young are no different to objects close by. Perhaps the Universe has always looked pretty much the same despite it continually expanding at large scales. If anything, there appear to be a greater number of more massive energetic objects out at those distances.

[Folkert]

Lots of research ongoing into the birth of galaxies. One currently supported model is that many small galaxies formed,, due to the momentum of the matter density waves started creating flat disks with spiral arms, then collisions took place, ruining the spiral structure, creating ellipticals, and then on and on. Lots of research ongoing in galaxies with multiple bulges, into different steams in galaxies, nice stuff for young researchers!

[Vince1963]

I Have a question or two to add to that.... Does anyone know why Galaxies are flat?, why aren't they spherical, What forces are making them this shape?

[JulianO]

I Have a question or two to add to that.... Does anyone know why Galaxies are flat?, why aren't they spherical, What forces are making them this shape?

Well some galaxies are spherical - or at least elliptical - that's most of the big ones. I think its fairly widely accepted that these big ellipticals are the result of mergers which mix everything up so stars are going every which way.

The spirals are flat because they are spinning so like the solar system they tend to form in a plane in the line of the dominant spin, which accumulates as it contracts by the conservation of angular momentum.

[Vince1963]

thanks for that Juliano

[JulianO]

Might be fun to watch a simulation of how they think it happened.

[Vince1963]

Thanks again for that Juliano... that looks pretty much it i think. I would say scientists have that one pretty much spot on...

[DarkStar7]

Juliano, but how many times did this galaxy rotate since conception, and how long after the big bang was it conceived?