Despite appearing like a permanent feature, stellar bars are fluctuating density waves that form as the result of some kind of instability in the galaxy. Over time, this process can naturally lead to the formation of stellar bars. Stellar bars can play a role shaping their galaxy’s evolution by funneling gas inward from the outer reaches of a galaxy, feeding the supermassive black hole in the center. Other researchers have reported earlier barred spiral galaxies, but the analysis of those are less conclusive because the methods used to measure the lights’ redshifts are not as definitive as spectroscopy, the method used to validate COSMOS-74706. Ivanov wasn’t necessarily surprised to find a barred spiral galaxy so early in the universe’s evolution — in fact, some simulations suggest bars forming as early as 12.5 billion years ago.