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Galaxies are formed from large clouds of gas and dust that collapse under gravity. Over time, these clouds clump together, forming stars, which then group into galaxies. Galactic collisions and mergers also play a role in their formation and evolution.
Galaxies are thought to have formed from clouds of gas and dust that collapsed and rotated, and there are several theories about how this happened:
Dark matter
Dark matter is an invisible form of matter that makes up about five times as much mass as normal matter. One theory is that galaxies formed when dark matter merged and clumped together.
Quantum fluctuations
Another theory is that galaxies formed as a result of tiny quantum fluctuations after the Big Bang.
Gravity
As clouds of gas and dust got close together, gravity caused them to collide and form larger spinning packs. Subsequent collisions could create spiral arms filled with stars.
The first galaxies may have formed as little as one billion years after the Big Bang, which is thought to have occurred about 13 to 14 billion years ago. However, some galaxies may have formed within the past few billion years.
Scientists use supercomputers to simulate how galaxies may have formed and grown over time. They also use observations from telescopes to learn more about how galaxies evolve.