All articles tagged with #galaxy formation
Astronomers map oxygen emission patterns in the face-on spiral galaxy NGC 1365 and compare them with Illustris simulations to reconstruct its 12-billion-year history: rapid early enrichment in the core, growth into a large spiral through mergers with dwarf galaxies, and later outer-arm star formation, offering a concrete example of chemical archaeology and a window into how the Milky Way may have formed.
A Space.com analysis of James Webb Space Telescope data suggests the mysterious “Little Red Dots” from the early universe could be newborn globular clusters rather than proto-black holes. A new arXiv study proposes these LRDs host very young stellar populations, potentially powered by an extremely massive, short‑lived star, which could explain their distinctive V‑shaped spectrum. The observed redshift range aligns with metal‑poor globular clusters, and the team estimates a global formation density around 0.3 per cubic megaparsec, similar to the number of globular clusters today. If confirmed, this would provide a direct window into early globular cluster formation, though future spectroscopy tracking chemical signatures (like helium and nitrogen enhancements, and specific element anti-correlations) will be crucial to test the hypothesis.
An Oxford-led team identifies a giant, razor-thin cosmic filament about 140 million light-years away that is rotating with galaxies aligned to its spin, offering new insights into how galaxies acquire angular momentum and evolve. The finding, enabled by MeerKAT’s MIGHTEE survey and complemented by DESI and SDSS data, challenges existing models of galaxy formation within the cosmic web.
JWST observations of CEERS2-588 at redshift 11.04 (about 400 million years after the Big Bang) reveal a surprisingly massive (≈1.26 billion solar masses) and metal-rich galaxy with a high star-formation rate (~8.2 solar masses per year) and no AGN activity, implying efficient, episodic starbursts and rapid quenching that challenge current models of early galaxy formation.
Astronomers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope produced the most detailed map yet of dark matter, revealing how its gravity pulled ordinary matter into dense regions that formed galaxies and, eventually, planets. The map deepens understanding of the invisible structure shaping the cosmos and will guide future surveys (e.g., Euclid, Roman) to refine dark-matter properties and evolution.
JWST observations of ultra-bright early-universe objects called Little Red Dots suggested extremely massive black holes. A new study argues their surrounding gas moves more slowly than thought, making the black holes about 100 times less massive and revealing they’re young SMBHs still cocooned in dense gas that hides X-ray emissions. This cocoon phase could represent a new early-growth stage in galaxy/black hole evolution and raises questions about whether black holes or stars form first in the young cosmos.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope identified the galaxy MoM-z14 as it appeared about 280 million years after the Big Bang (redshift 14.44), meaning light has traveled roughly 13.5 billion years. Its brightness and nitrogen enrichment exceed predictions for such an early object, challenging current models and hinting at new physics or star-formation pathways during the epoch of reionization; follow-up spectroscopy is needed to confirm details and refine our picture of the early Universe.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has produced the sharpest-ever map of dark matter by analyzing how its gravity bends light from nearly 800,000 galaxies in the COSMOS region, showing that dark matter’s invisible scaffolding closely aligns with regular matter and has guided galaxy and star formation—and by extension the conditions for planets like Earth—with Webb revealing finer dark-matter clumps than previous maps and setting the stage for expanded surveys with the Roman Space Telescope.
Joel R. Primack, a UC Santa Cruz physicist, helped pioneer modern cosmology by coauthoring the 1984 Nature paper that linked dark matter and cosmic inflation to galaxy formation, shaping our understanding of the universe’s evolution after the Big Bang; he later expanded these ideas with computer simulations and influenced science policy, while authoring The View from the Center of the Universe with his wife, Nancy Abrams. He died on November 13, 2025, of pancreatic cancer at age 80.
Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered nine unusual 'platypus galaxies' that challenge traditional classifications, as they exhibit a mix of features unlike typical galaxies, possibly representing a new type of early universe galaxy or a new stage in galaxy evolution.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and Chandra X-Ray Observatory captured images of two galaxies, IC 2163 and NGC 2207, beginning to collide, providing insights into galaxy mergers and evolution over cosmic timescales.
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a new type of cosmic object called Cloud 9, a dark matter and gas cloud with no stars, located near galaxy M94. This relic, known as a RELHIC, offers a rare glimpse into dark matter and galaxy formation, potentially serving as a primordial building block of galaxies, and may help scientists understand the early universe better.
New research suggests dark matter may interact with neutrinos, which could explain why the universe is less 'clumpy' than expected and challenge current cosmological models. Future observations, including cosmic microwave background studies and gravitational lensing, aim to test this hypothesis, potentially leading to a major breakthrough in understanding dark matter.
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope discovered 'Cloud-9,' a starless, gas-rich dark matter cloud that is a relic of early galaxy formation, providing new insights into dark matter and the universe's primordial structures.
NASA's Hubble has discovered 'Cloud-9', a starless, gas-rich dark matter cloud that is a relic of early galaxy formation, providing new insights into dark matter and the universe's origins.