February 25, 2021 To the extent that we can see them, galaxies in the very early universe should look relatively young and unformed. But galaxy ALESS 073.1 is a surprise to astronomers: it looks more mature than we’d have any reason to expect. Why? Galaxy ALESS 073.1, located 12 billion light-years away and formed when the universe was only 10% of its current age, has not only a large bulge but also a rotating disk, going against common understanding of galaxy formation. This image, observed with the ALMA telescope, is incredibly detailed for such a distance. Image via Federico Lelli et al./ UBC. Astronomers have found a mightily surprising early-universe galaxy that appears more mature than it should for its age. They announced this result on February 11, 2021, pointing out that galaxy ALESS 073.1 is located about 12 billion light-years away. That means we see this galaxy as it was when the universe was only 1.2 billion years old, or 10% of its current age. At such a time, according to astronomers’ theories, this galaxy would be considered