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Spiral galaxies might have been lentil-shaped before becoming starry whirls

A new look at lenticular galaxies suggests a tweak to galaxy evolution theory

A photo of lenticular galaxy Messier 102, also known as the Spindle Galaxy.

Lenticular galaxies like Messier 102, also known as the Spindle Galaxy, could provide new insight into how galaxies morph into different shapes.

NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team/STScI/AURA, W. Keel/Univ. of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

By Elise Cutts

The Milky Way might have once looked more like a legume than a starry whirlpool.

Over their unfathomably long lifetimes, spiral galaxies like the Milky Way are generally thought to morph