00:04The Milky Way galaxy is our home, but we can only look back at its history, with relation
00:08to mankind's ability to peer up at the sky and discern what's going on.
00:12But now, thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers say they have found a galaxy that's
00:16a mere image of our own.
00:18But when it was still a fledgling galaxy, they're calling it the Sparkler, because it's surrounded
00:22by two dozen wispy dwarf galaxies.
00:24Experts say the Sparkler galaxy started forming when the universe was only 4 billion years
00:28old.
00:28But since it's situated 9 billion light years away from us, we're seeing its light
00:32from 9 billion years ago, meaning we're looking at it when it was only a couple of billion
00:36years old.
00:37And if you're wondering to yourself how this is a mere image to our own galaxy since it's
00:40surrounded by dwarf galaxies, well, so is the Milky Way.
00:43The Sparkler galaxy is in a mergers and acquisitions period, and it's eventually going to gobble
00:48up all of those dwarf galaxies, just like scientists believe the Milky Way did ages ago.
00:52In fact, they believe that half of our galaxy's mass came from such acquisitions, and the Sparkler
00:56galaxy is going to need it.
00:57Currently, it's tiny, only about 3% the size of the Milky Way.
01:01With astronomers saying this is a rare opportunity to look back in time and see how a galaxy just
01:06like ours came together.
01:10I'll see you later.
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