Six Hubble snapshots, each showing a galaxy captured at a different redshift/time period. The time periods are 11.3 billion years ago (z=2.8); 10.9 billion years (z=2.4); 10.3 billion years (z+2.0); 8.9 billion years (z=1.3); 6.1 billion years (z=.65) and 3.1 billion years (z=.26). The galaxies start out small and indistinct and gain size and definition, becoming spiral galxies as we get closer to our current time.

Six galaxy snapshots

These six Hubble snapshots show how galaxies similar in mass to our Milky Way evolved over time. Milky Way-like galaxies grow larger in size and in stellar mass over billions of years.

Credits: NASA/ESA/C. Papovich (Texas A&M)/H. Ferguson (STScI)/S. Fabe
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Image CreditNASA/ESA/C. Papovich (Texas A&M)/H. Ferguson (STScI)/S. Fabe
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