On February 5, 1963, Maarten Schmidt unraveled the mystery of quasars and pushed back the edges of the known cosmos. His insight into quasars – the most distant and luminous objects known – has changed the way scientists view the universe. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/this-date-in-science-maartin-schmidt-discovers-first-known-quasar…
Tag: galaxy mergers
The 100 best science photos of 2020
‘Naked’ sharks, secret galaxy mergers, disco tardigrades and more incredible science photos from this crazy year. Source: https://www.livescience.com/100-best-science-photos-of-2020.html
C1-23152: An ancient galaxy that built itself
A popular theory of galaxy formation suggests that small galaxies merged to form larger ones. But galaxy C1-23152 – 12 billion light-years from Earth – apparently formed itself from gas in the early universe, via exceedingly rapid star formation. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/c1-23152-galaxy-built-itself-not-via-galaxy-merger…
Feeding a galaxy’s nuclear black hole
A galactic bar is the approximately linear structure of stars and gas that stretches across the inner regions of some galaxies. The bar stretches from one inner spiral arm, across the nuclear region, to an arm on the other side. Found in about half of spiral galaxies, including the Milky Way, bars are thought to funnel large amounts of gas into…
What is a galaxy?
We live in a galaxy called the Milky Way. But there is so much more to know about these grand and glorious star islands in space! Click in here, and prepare to have your mind expanded. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/definition-what-is-a-galaxy…
Mergers between galaxies trigger activity in their core
Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) play a major role in galaxy evolution. Astronomers from SRON and RuG have now used a record-setting sample of galaxies to confirm that galaxy mergers have a positive effect on igniting AGNs. They were able to compile about 10 times more pictures of merging galaxies than previous studies by using a machine-learning algorithm. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-05-mergers-galaxies-trigger-core.html…
Beyond the brim, Sombrero Galaxy’s halo suggests turbulent past
Surprising new data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope suggests the smooth, settled “brim” of the Sombrero galaxy’s disk may be concealing a turbulent past. Hubble’s sharpness and sensitivity resolves tens of thousands of individual stars in the Sombrero’s vast, extended halo, the region beyond a galaxy’s central portion, typically made of older stars. These latest observations of the Sombrero are turning…
Galaxy Cruise—Your galactic journey as a citizen scientist
The Universe is full of galaxies of various shapes; some galaxies have spiral arms and others don’t. Why do galaxies show such diversity? Galaxies are thought to grow by interacting and merging with other galaxies; and the galaxy mergers may be the key process creating the variety. Why don’t you explore the Universe as a citizen scientist to help unlock the…
Record-number of over 200,000 galaxies confirm: Galaxy mergers ignite star bursts
When two galaxies merge, there are brief periods of stellar baby booms. A group of astronomers led by Lingyu Wang (SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research) has now used a sample of over 200,000 galaxies to confirm that galaxy mergers are the driving force behind star bursts. It is the first time that scientists have used artificial intelligence in a galaxy…
Found: 3 black holes due to collide
Take one minute to watch a video of a system of 3 galaxies – called SDSS J0849+1114 – all orbiting each other a billion light years from Earth. Each galaxy contains a supermassive black hole, which are circling each other, about to collide. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/sdss-j08491114-3-black-holes-due-to-collide…