Massive Galaxies Have Followed the Same Rules for Billions of Years

By Space.Fan Editorial DeskSeptember 24, 2026 at 8:03 PM UTC

A deep look into the distant past shows that giant galaxies grew up much like the ones we see in our neighborhood today.

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The Drop

Astronomers have been studying how galaxies change as they age. To do this, they looked at 213 massive galaxies that existed billions of years ago. By comparing these older galaxies to ones near us, they wanted to see if the rules of galaxy life have changed over time. The team used two powerful tools to get this data. They used light-splitting tools from the MUSE-DEEP survey to see how s move inside these galaxies. They also used the Hubble Space Telescope to get sharp, clear pictures of their shapes. These tools allowed them to classify the galaxies into two groups: those that spin quickly and those that are slower. Most of the fast-spinning galaxies looked very similar to the ones we see in the modern universe. The team found that the traits of these galaxies, like their age and how many metals they contain, are linked to how fast their s move. This pattern is exactly the same as what we see in our local part of space. This tells us that the way these massive galaxies work has stayed very steady for the last 7 billion years.

Why It Matters

This discovery is important because it shows that massive galaxies are very stable. It suggests that once a large galaxy forms, its path through life is fairly predictable. By proving these rules were already in place billions of years ago, scientists can rule out theories that would have caused massive, sudden changes in how galaxies are structured during that time.

The Catch

While this study confirms that many patterns have remained the same, it only looked at 213 specific galaxies. It is possible that other types of galaxies, or those in different environments, might have followed a different path. The researchers are also limited by how far back they can look, as seeing even older galaxies requires different technology.

Put That in Perspective

Scientists have spent years measuring the rotation and composition of nearby galaxies to create a baseline for what a mature galaxy looks like. This study acts as a time machine, allowing researchers to confirm that the physics governing these giants has not shifted as the universe aged. Future studies will likely look even further back in time to see if these patterns hold up during the early days of galaxy formation.

Source September 24, 2026

Pritom Mozumdar, Michele Cappellari, Christopher D. Fassnacht, Tommaso Treu

University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Davis; University of Oxford·The Astrophysical Journal·10.3847/1538-4357/ae993a

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