Galaxies form the structure of our cosmos, yet their origins remain a mystery. How did solitary stars evolve into the vibrant systems we see today? For much of history, the Milky Way was believed to be the entire universe, until discoveries in the 20th century recalibrated our view, revealing a myriad of galactic forms. But how did they form in the first place? Ancient stars within these systems may hold the key to our cosmic origins. Scientists can trace galaxy collisions for clues, yet another conundrum lies within their cores: supermassive black holes with masses millions to billions of times greater than our Sun. Did these enigmatic regions initiate galaxy formation or result from it? And could they eventually cause their parent galaxies' demise? All galaxies will eventually die, but where are we on this timeline? Will the Milky Way fade into darkness or burn out with a bang? Scientists study the galactic imprints of time, probing the past to predict our future.
