![]() ![]() ![]() There was nothing in between to suggest formation. Instead, they spotted some of the largest known galaxies had matured when the universe itself was still young. Previously, astronomers had no evidence of massive galaxies from the early universe as they formed. “We figured out that the galaxy is actually a massive monster galaxy with as many stars as our Milky Way, but brimming with activity, forming new stars at 100 times the rate of our own galaxy,” said Ivo Labbé, study co-author at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. But the dust clouds themselves obscured the stars, which essentially made the galaxy itself invisible from our view. The light was likely caused by dust particles that were heated by the stars as they formed inside a galaxy. This is because until now, due to a lack of data, astronomers didn’t know they could exist. The researchers likened it to coming upon a set of footprints belonging to a mythical monster, like the Yeti. This means the light took that long to reach Earth. Without meaning to, Williams had found the footprints leading to a massive galaxy from the dawn of the universe 12.5 billion years ago. “When I saw this galaxy was invisible at any other wavelength, I got really excited because it meant that it was probably really far away and hidden by clouds of dust.” “It was very mysterious because the light seemed not to be linked to any known galaxy at all,” said Williams, lead study author of a paper published Tuesday in the Astrophysical Journal. The light was on its own in an area without a known galaxy. The University of Arizona astronomer saw the shimmering blob in new data from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array in Chile. By chance, astronomer Christina Williams spotted a faint trace of light that led her to the discovery of a mythical galaxy. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |