Galaxies like the Milky Way boast more than spirals; they also have feathers, where clumps of new stars are born. Astronomers have been stumped by how these complex structures form, but now a research team says there may be a simple way: All it takes is a bit of gravity.
For over a century, astronomers have marveled at the beauty and complexity of spiral galaxies. The largest "grand design" spirals can host a dozen or more individual arms. But recently, detailed, high-resolution observations with the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed that there is even more to the story.
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