Astronomers get closer to solving the mystery of the formation of giant galaxies

By Alimat Aliyeva

Scientists have gathered new evidence regarding the formation of giant elliptical galaxies, a topic that has been debated for decades. Researchers from the University of Southampton, in collaboration with the Chinese Purple Mountain Observatory and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have concluded that the formation of these ancient galaxies was driven by massive outflows of cold gas and intergalactic collisions, Azernews reports.

Dr. Annagracia Puglisi, co-author of the study from the University of Southampton, explained that the collision of two disk-shaped galaxies causes gas to flow toward the center, triggering the creation of trillions of new stars. These collisions occurred approximately 8-12 billion years ago, during a more active phase of the universe's evolution.

The research team analyzed over 100 star-forming galaxies in the distant universe using the ALMA telescope in Chile. Qin-Hua Tang, head of the study at the Purple Mountain Observatory, stated that scientists employed a new technique based on the distribution of light emitted by distant, exceptionally bright galaxies. This method provided the first solid evidence that spheroidal galaxies form during intense periods of star formation.

The research team plans to expand their study by using data from the open-access A3COSMOS and A3GOODSS archives. They will also integrate information from the JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) and Euclid satellites, as well as telescopes aboard the Chinese Space Station, to further investigate the structure of galaxies. Dr. Puglisi emphasized that this multi-faceted approach will significantly deepen our understanding of the universe’s evolution from its earliest stages, offering a more accurate picture of how early galaxies formed.

The findings of this groundbreaking study were published in the journal Nature. These results suggest that scientists are now one step closer to solving the long-standing mystery of galaxy formation, shedding new light on the processes that shaped the universe we observe today.