Historically, when did the Central Bulge likely see a higher rate of formation?
Answer
Billions of years ago when the galaxy was first assembling its core
Although the Central Bulge currently exhibits a low to moderate rate of new stellar births compared to the spiral arms, its history suggests a much more vigorous past. The text indicates that if the entire history of the Milky Way is considered, the bulge likely experienced a higher rate of star formation billions of years in the past. This era coincided with the initial assembly and violent gravitational settling of the galaxy's core region, forming the dense, older stellar population now observed there, before the primary engine of creation shifted predominantly to the spiral arms.
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