Changing perceptions: astronomers have discovered a previously unknown galaxy
[ad_1]
A team of astronomers has discovered a new dwarf galaxy. They saw it in pictures taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.
According to Phys.org, this discovery was not the main goal of their observations.
Arizona State University researcher Tim Carleton published a study in the Astrophysical Journal Letters in which a team of scientists looked at galaxy clusters as part of the JWST Prime Extragalactic Areas for Reionization and Lensing Science (PEARLS) project.
The newly discovered dwarf galaxy, named PEARLSDG, was accidentally spotted in some telescope images. She was seen in that space zone where scientists did not expect to find anything.
| Scientists accidentally discovered a new dwarf galaxy in the images of the Webb telescope. Photo: NASA/ESA |
And all because PEARLSDG does not have the usual features for dwarf galaxies. It does not interact with a neighboring galaxy and does not form new stars. Researchers say this is an interesting case of an isolated, quiescent galaxy.
“These types of isolated dwarf galaxies have not been seen before, except in a few cases. The fact that we can see this object helps us improve our theories about how they form.” said Carlton.
The researcher says that “dwarf galaxies that exist by themselves form new stars.” However, this is not about PEARLSDG: it does not form them and does not interact with other galaxies.
Recent observations of dwarf galaxies have revealed a large number of “ultradiffuse galaxies” (a type of galaxy that have low surface brightness and blurred edges) beyond the reach of previous large spectroscopic surveys. This finding suggests that the understanding of the number of dwarf galaxies may be incomplete.
Another surprise was that individual stars of the galaxy could be seen in the pictures. The degree of their brightness allowed astronomers to measure the distance to it – 98 million light years.
Dwarf galaxies are the most common in the universe. They are characterized by low brightness and have less than 100 million stars, while the Milky Way, for example, has almost 200 billion of them. They are formed due to the interaction of dark matter and gases containing heavy elements (“metals” in astronomical terminology).
This discovery changes astronomers’ understanding of how galaxies form and evolve. It indicates the possibility that many of them are dormant and waiting to be discovered. And JWST has the tools to do just that.
It will be recalled that the Webb telescope discovered the most distant twin galaxy of the Milky Way.
Vira Shurmakevich, “UP. Life”
Read also: The Webb Telescope captured images of 19 spiral galaxies near the Milky Way. PHOTO
[ad_2]
Original Source Link
