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When the stars in a galaxy stop forming, that galaxy will die. Astronomers, for the first time, observed this phenomenon in a distant galaxy.
Scientists using the large Atacama Millimeter / submillimeter telescope array in Chile, were able to capture a “rare sighting” of a galaxy “by ejecting nearly half of the gas it uses to form stars, according to a CNN report. “.
It took nearly nine billion years for light from this galaxy, known as ID2299, to reach Earth, CNN reported – which essentially means astronomers are “ watching how it came to be as the universe was only 4.5 billion years old (now estimated to be 14 billion years old). “
Galaxy ID2299 is losing the fuel it needs to form stars – 10,000 suns of gas per year – and has so far removed 46% of the galaxy’s total cold gas, the report explains.
However, at a “rate that is hundreds of times faster than our own Milky Way,” ID2299 is still rapidly forming stars, the report notes.
The formation of these stars will deplete the rest of the gas in the galaxy, and “will kill ID2299 in tens of millions of years,” the report explains.
The study, which CNN cited, was published Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy.
CNN cited Annagrazia Puglisi, senior researcher and postdoctoral research associate at Durham University in the UK and Saclay Nuclear Research Center in France, as saying in a statement: “This is the first time that we observe a typical massive star-forming galaxy in the distant Universe on the verge of “dying” from a massive ejection of cold gas.
What could have caused the disappearance of the galaxy?
According to the report, the cause of death of this galaxy could have been a collision with another galaxy, “which eventually merged to create ID2299”.
Is there compelling evidence that the loss of gas could have been the result of a collision? According to the CNN report, the study indicates that there is – and it’s called a tidal tail – “a long stream of gas and stars that expand into space after two galaxies have separated. encountered during a collision. “
Although these tidal tails are generally “too faint” to be seen in galaxies this distance, the study noted that in this case, the bright tail was visible to astronomers as it extended into the space, CNN reported.
Astronomers may need to reconsider previous theories.
Previously, scientists believed that the “end of star formation” occurred when “the winds created by star formation, combined with active black holes at the center of giant galaxies, sent the material needed to form stars. rushing into space ”. CNN quoted.
However, the study noted that if the loss of gas from this galaxy was caused by a merger, “astronomers may need to reconsider the theories about the end of star formation in galaxies.”
CNN quoted Emanuele Daddi, study co-author and astronomer at the Saclay Nuclear Research Center in France, who said: “Our study suggests that gas ejections can be produced by mergers and that winds and tide tails can look very similar. ” He added: “It could lead us to rethink our understanding of how galaxies ‘die’.”
This sighting was an unexpected discovery.
An interesting aspect of this discovery is that “it was made while astronomers were working on another study of cold gas in distant galaxies,” and although their sighting of ID2299 only lasted a few minutes, ” it was enough to capture the tidal tail, ”CNN reported. And, the possibility remains that more could be revealed about the ejection of gas from the galaxy, thanks to future observations.
CNN quoted Chiara Circosta, co-author of the study and researcher at University College London, who said in a statement: “ALMA shed new light on the mechanisms that can stop star formation in galaxies. distant. Witnessing such a massive disturbance event adds an important piece to the complex puzzle of galaxy evolution.
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