Unraveling Secrets Of Stellar Halos With Subaru Telescope
MessageToEagle.com – Using the Subaru Telescope atop Maunakea, researchers have identified 11 dwarf galaxies and two star-containing halos in the outer region of a large spiral galaxy 25 million light-years away from Earth.
Stellar halos are spherical populations of stars and globular clusters thought to surround most disk galaxies and elliptical galaxies of cD class (found near the centers) of some rich galaxy clusters).
They are fascinating objects for astronomers but difficult to observe and study due to their low luminosity.
The team focused their attention on Galaxy NGC 4631, otherwise known as the Whale Galaxy because of its shape. They identified 11 dwarf galaxies in its outer region, some of which were already known and additionally, two tidal stellar streams orbiting the galaxy: one, called Stream SE, is located in front of it and the other, called Stream NW (the brighter of the pair) is nestled behind it.
Astronomers believe it’s possible that they originated as a result of a gravitational interaction between the Whale Galaxy and a dwarf galaxy orbiting it.
Both streams are relatively fainter than other stellar streams that have been studied around galaxies close to the Milky Way.
It is thought that stellar halos are less common when a galaxy’s total stellar mass is smaller than the stellar mass of larger galaxies, such as the Triangulum Galaxy. As a result of their calculations, the researchers believe that the Whale Galaxy, although large, has a smaller mass than the Milky Way.
Future studies could help further clarify how stellar halos form around galaxies with relatively small masses, the researchers conclude.
This research is published in the Astrophysical Journal, 842, 127.
MessageToEagle.com
Expand for referencesReferences:
Related Posts
-
A Peculiar Pair Of Spiral Galaxies – Captured By Hubble
No Comments | May 23, 2022
-
Why Do We See The Man In The Moon?
No Comments | Mar 12, 2012
-
On This Day In History: Tycho Brahe’s Supernova Observed In Constellation Cassiopeia – On Nov 6, 1572
No Comments | Nov 6, 2016
-
Our Solar System Formed In Less Than 200,000 Years – New Study
No Comments | Nov 16, 2020
-
Largest Cosmic Explosion Ever Witnessed Revealed By Astronomers
No Comments | May 14, 2023
-
Composition Of The Universe Is Constantly Changing And Evolving
No Comments | Feb 4, 2019
-
Unveiling Quantum Gravity: New Results From IceCube And Fermi Data
No Comments | Jun 12, 2023
-
Martian ‘Garden City’ Of Prominent Mineral Veins On Mount Sharp
No Comments | Nov 13, 2015
-
Astronomers May Have Uncovered How Galaxies Change Their shape
No Comments | Dec 20, 2022
-
Cosmic Rays From Supernovae Could Be Responsible For Mass Extinction On Earth
No Comments | Aug 19, 2020