The team analyzed over 100 star-forming galaxies using the ALMA radio telescope, located in Chile's Atacama Desert.

Unlike the flat disk shape of the Milky Way, these ancient elliptical galaxies resemble bulging footballs, and their origins have remained unclear for years.

Researchers from the University of Southampton, in collaboration with global experts, have made groundbreaking discoveries regarding the birth sites of massive elliptical galaxies, shedding light on their formation.

The study reveals that collisions between disk galaxies, which occurred 8 to 12 billion years ago, concentrated gas at their centers, leading to the formation of trillions of new stars.

Lead researcher Dr. Qing-Hua Tan emphasized that this research provides the first concrete evidence that spheroidal galaxies form through intense star formation episodes in their cores.

These galaxies are forming at astonishing rates, with gas being drawn into their centers and feeding black holes, resulting in star formation that is 10 to 100 times faster than that of the Milky Way.

The findings, published in the journal Nature, aim to provide a comprehensive picture of how galaxies evolved throughout the history of the universe.

The cosmic events that facilitated this rapid formation occurred during a highly active phase of the universe's evolution, helping to solve a long-standing mystery about early galaxy creation.

Dr. Puglisi noted that this research may redefine our understanding of galaxy formation in the early universe.

To gather high-quality observations, researchers utilized the A3COSMOS and A3GOODSS archival projects, collaborating with the Purple Mountain Observatory in China.

Astronomers are making significant strides in understanding the formation of the universe's largest galaxies, particularly the massive elliptical galaxies that have puzzled experts for decades.

Future research will integrate data from the James Webb Space Telescope, the Euclid satellite, and the Chinese Space Station to further enhance our understanding of early galaxy formation.