Precise Gaia ages pinpoint a sharp break about 10.8 billion years ago in how the Milky Way's disk settled, according to phys.org (https://phys.org/news/2026-10-milky-disk-grew-upside-younger.html). After that break, later generations of stars were born in a successively thinner disk, reaching about 400 light-years thick for the youngest stars.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2026-10-milky-disk-grew-upside-younger.html
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