The Milky Way is considered a special galaxy due to a number of factors. Firstly, its size and structure make it unique. It is a barred spiral galaxy, measuring approximately 100,000 light-years in diameter, and it contains billions of stars, as well as clouds of gas, dust, and dark matter. These elements interact and shape the structure of the galaxy, making it one of the most complex and fascinating objects in the universe.

Another reason the Milky Way is special is because it is our home. As the galaxy that contains our Solar System, it holds a special place in the hearts of Astronomers, scientists, and the general public. From our perspective on Earth, the Milky Way provides us with a stunning view of the night sky, with its bright stars and glowing clouds of gas and dust.

James Webb sheds light once again

According to Universe Today, astronomers using the Webb Telescope (JWST) have discovered a galaxy that is an almost perfect mirror image of the Milky Way galaxy in its early stages. Nicknamed “The Sparkler,” this distant galaxy is located in the direction of the constellation Volans and lies at a redshift of z = 1.38, about 9 billion light-years away and a few billion years after the Big Bang. It’s estimated that the Sparkler and the Milky Way began as “overdensities” of matter in the early universe, attracting each other through their gravitational pull and forming galaxy “seeds.”

The Sparkler has two dozen glittering globular clusters orbiting around it, along with a few dwarf galaxies being absorbed, much like the Milky Way’s early history. The JWST view shows that the Sparkler has the same growth path as the Milky Way, and in about nine billion years, it could look very similar to our own galaxy.

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