{
  "id": 11689628,
  "title": "Milky Way may have begun as thousands of galaxies, new simulations suggest",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/milky-way-may-have-begun-as-thousands-of-galaxies-new-simulations",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-03T13:00:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-milky-begun-thousands-galaxies-simulations.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Milky Way's origins may have been the result of thousands of individual galaxies merging together, according to new computer simulations led by Harley Katz, an assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Chicago. These simulations, published in The Open Journal of Astrophysics, reveal the early stages of the Milky Way's evolution over the first several billion years of its existence, a period known as cosmic dawn.\n\nThe simulations, which took three years to run on supercomputers, are the most detailed models to date of how a galaxy like the Milky Way might have formed. They provide predictions of what the early Milky Way would have looked like to telescopes like Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope.\n\nOne key finding is that the early Milky Way likely consisted of a diverse mix of galaxies, some actively forming stars, others that were dead or in the process of dying. This diversity included galaxies that appeared to have no stars at all, possibly remnants of stars that had exploded or collapsed into black holes.\n\nThe simulations also address a long-standing puzzle in stellar astrophysics - the constant amount of iron in extremely faint galaxies despite their varying sizes. The solution, according to the simulations, lies in explosions from Population III stars, ancient stars composed solely of hydrogen and helium. When these stars explode, they can produce more iron than other supernovae.\n\nThe simulations are the first to model the enrichment of individual chemical elements from these ancient stars, offering insights into where these stars might be found in the Milky Way today. The researchers are also using the simulations to compare predictions with data from the James Webb Space Telescope, looking for matches and gaps in understanding.\n\nWhile the simulations provide a more comprehensive understanding of the formation of the Milky Way, there are still areas where the models may fall short. These gaps could guide future research and help unravel more mysteries about the early universe and the formation of galaxies.",
  "summary": "In the early days of the universe, our home looked very different from how it does today. Back then, the region in our universe that would eventually become our Milky Way neighborhood was a collection of thousands of smaller galaxies—some pumping out tons of new stars, others filled only with gas or littered with dead stars and black holes.",
  "key_points": [
    "Milky Way's origins formed from thousands of merging galaxies, simulations suggest",
    "Early Milky Way diverse, with active star-forming and dead galaxies",
    "Iron abundance in faint galaxies explained by Population III star explosions"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}