. 24/7 Space News .
TIME AND SPACE
'Red and dead' NGC 1277 offers insights on the early universe
by Brooks Hays
Washington (UPI) Mar 13, 2018

New analysis of a "relic galaxy" promises insights into the nature of the early universe.

Formed some 12 billion years ago, the NGC 1277 galaxy birthed all of its stars within a span of 100 million years -- a star formation rate 1,000 times greater than that of the Milky Way. But nearly as quickly as the galaxy sprang to life, it died out.

For the last 10 billion years, NGC 1277 has remained unchanged -- a relic of an earlier time in galactic evolution. To better understand the dynamics of the early universe, scientists used the Hubble Space Telescope to study NGC 1277.

The lenticular galaxy is what's known as a "red and dead" galaxy. Most dead and red galaxies are found in the distant universe, too far away to be imaged in great detail. But at 240 million light-years away from Earth, NGC 1277 is close enough to offer insights.

Most galaxies feature both red globular clusters, full of metal-rich stars, and blue clusters, globs of metal-poor stars.

Models of galactic evolution suggest red clusters form during the earliest stages of a galaxy's formation, with blue clusters acquired later as new star forming material is pulled from the galaxy's surroundings. The lack of blue globular clusters is a sign that a galaxy stopped evolving -- that it is in a "state of arrested development."

Red and dead galaxies host mostly red clusters. NGC 1277 has only red clusters.

"I've been studying globular clusters in galaxies for a long time, and this is the first time I've ever seen this," Michael Beasley, a researcher with the Astrophysics Institute of the Canary Islands, said in a news release.

Scientists believe the massive black hole at the center of NGC 1277 grew quickly, pulling in stellar materials at a prodigious rate, inspiring the formation of the galaxy. But it's development stopped suddenly when it ran out of stellar material. As a result, the galaxy hosts a massive stellar popular but is extremely compact.

NGC 1277 is surrounded by other galaxies from which it could steal new material, but the latest Hubble findings show it is moving too fast to merge with other galaxies or acquire significant amounts of debris.

Described this week in the journal Nature, NGC 1277 is just one of 50 dense, compact relic galaxies identified by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Scientists hope future surveys of similar candidates will help astronomers better understand the nuances of galactic evolution in the early universe.

Scientists also hope newer, more powerful telescopes will help them study the role of dark matter in the formation and evolution of oddball galaxies like NGC 1277.


Related Links
Understanding Time and Space


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


TIME AND SPACE
Quantum vacuum may allow stars to exist in unconventional configurations
Trieste, Italy (SPX) Mar 12, 2018
A new kind of star comes up from a study by SISSA's postdoctoral researcher Raul Carballo-Rubio. In a piece of research recently published in Physical Review Letters, Carballo-Rubio has developed a novel mathematical model that combines general relativity with the repulsive effect of quantum vacuum polarization. The inclusion of this repulsive force allows describing ultracompact configurations of stars, which were previously considered by scientists not to exist in equilibrium. "As a consequence ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

TIME AND SPACE
NASA Awards $96 Million to U.S. Small Businesses for Tech Research, Development

Russia, China strike deal to jointly explore outer space

Astronaut Scott Kelly weighs in on the 'State of Science'

Knowledge matters for Year of Education on Station

TIME AND SPACE
It's Business Time at Rocket Lab

Elon Musk plans to launch spacecraft for Mars in 2019

Ukraine eyes new Spaceport downunder

Arianespace lofts 4 more O3b sats for SES led constellation

TIME AND SPACE
Opportunity is Halfway Down the Valley

Next NASA Mars Rover Reaches Key Manufacturing Milestone

360 Video: Tour a Mars Robot Test Lab

Travis AFB delivers NASA InSight Spacecraft

TIME AND SPACE
China moving ahead with plans for next-generation X-ray observatory

China to launch Long March-5B rocket in 2019

Satellite will test plan for global China led satcom network

China plans rocket sea-launch

TIME AND SPACE
Iridium Certus Distribution Expands; Enables Globally 'Connected Vehicles', Assets and Teams

Britain hopes to keep stars aligned with EU's space projects

Lockheed Martin Begins Assembly of JCSAT-17 Commercial Communications Satellite

ESA Astronaut will test CIMON aboard the ISS Watson AI

TIME AND SPACE
BridgeSat and NASA Sign Space Act Agreement for Laser Communications

Scientists Declare War on Space Radiation

Helium ions open whole new world of materials

Russia successfully tests first atmospheric satellite

TIME AND SPACE
The search for interstellar water

JHU performs first laboratory simulation of exoplanet atmospheric chemistry

Yale's Expres Instrument ready to find the next Earth Analog

NASA's Kepler Spacecraft Nearing the End as Fuel Runs Low

TIME AND SPACE
Unveiling the depths of Jupiter's winds

New Horizons Chooses Nickname for 'Ultimate' Flyby Target

Jupiter's Great Red Spot getting taller as it shrinks

Jupiter's turmoil more than skin deep: researchers









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.