The illustration shows the fuel that surrounds the galaxies, which allows them to form new stars and planetary systems. Credit:ASU
Most galaxies grow by accumulating new material and turning them into stars. What has not been known is where the new material comes from and how it gets to the stars.
Sanchayeeta Borthakur, an astronomer at Arizona State University, has identified the fuel that can fall into galaxies and allow them to form new stars and planetary systems. Her research was published in a journal.
Some galaxies are producing more stars than their reserve of star-forming gas would allow, according to previous research. This implied to Borthakur, who is an assistant professor at the School of Earth and Space Exploration, that new gas must be coming into the universe and supporting the creation of new stars and planets.
Looking through an airplane window at night is similar to seeing bright city lights in the dark. Finding this fuel source is like discovering that the farms and supply routes that support the populations in the cities are hidden in the dark.
The ALFALFA survey from the Arecibo telescope and the Survey of the Low-Red catalogues were used to determine where the gas might be coming from. She was able to quantify how gas-rich galaxies are associated with clouds.
New stars and planetary systems can be formed by the animation of faint fuel reservoirs surrounding a galaxy. Credit:ASU
It's like discovering the existence of gas stations in an image of a city full of cars.
She hopes to identify the pathways through which the gas clouds can reach the inner regions of the galaxies.
"Galaxies like ours will continue to grow by forming many more solar systems as new material comes in," she says. Predicting if new stars will be formed in the future can be done by understanding the source of the star fuel.
Sanchayeeta Borthakur is the author of How are Absorbers in the Cosmic Web Related to Gas-rich Galaxies? There is a book titled "10847/1538-4357/ac3133."
There is information in the Astrophysical Journal.
Astronomers found star fuel surrounding the galaxies on January 20.
The document is copyrighted. Any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research cannot be reproduced without written permission. The information provided is for educational purposes.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
