Current Affairs - Technology - Discussion

Indian astronomers Rashi Jain and Yogesh Wadadekar discovered the Alaknanda Galaxy using the James Webb Space Telescope. This spiral galaxy, located in the Abell 2744 cluster, existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old and exhibits well-formed spiral arms, challenging previous assumptions that early galaxies were small and chaotic. Its rapid star formation rate, approximately 63 solar masses per year, indicates accelerated development compared to the Milky Way. Naming the galaxy after the Himalayan river Alaknanda symbolically connects it to Indian tradition and highlights the significant contribution of Indian researchers to global astrophysics and our understanding of early cosmic evolution.