114
Astronomers made an unexpected discovery: The ancient dwarf galaxy Leo P, thought to be dead for 12 billion years, suddenly began forming new starsThe event surprised the scientific community, as it was believed that isolated galaxies had long ceased active star formation. The observations were made using the Webb Space Telescope, which provided an image of a part of the galaxy filled with young blue stars, Live Science reports.
Leo P is an example of a primordial galaxy that has been preserved in its original form. It contains very few heavy chemical elements and is composed mainly of hydrogen and helium. Although Leo P was discovered in 2013, it has only now been discovered that it has become active again after an era of reionization, when the formation of new stars in the Universe ceased due to the blocking of light by dense clouds of hydrogen.
This discovery raises many questions among scientists. While other similar galaxies have not resumed star formation, Leo P has suddenly come to life. The reasons for this phenomenon remain unclear. It is only known that the new image from the Webb telescope shows bright blue stars, which indicate the resumption of star formation after a long break.
The study of Leo P is important for understanding the processes of galaxy evolution in the Universe. It also opens up new possibilities for studying the origin of the first stars and how some galaxies can experience repeated cycles of activity. Although such cases are extremely rare, Leo P proves that even "dead" galaxies can become alive again if the right conditions are met.
Astronomers made an unexpected discovery: The ancient dwarf galaxy Leo P, thought to be dead for 12 billion years, suddenly began forming new starsThe event surprised the scientific community, as it was believed that isolated galaxies had long ceased active star formation. The observations were made using the Webb Space Telescope, which provided an image of a part of the galaxy filled with young blue stars, Live Science reports.
Leo P is an example of a primordial galaxy that has been preserved in its original form. It contains very few heavy chemical elements and is composed mainly of hydrogen and helium. Although Leo P was discovered in 2013, it has only now been discovered that it has become active again after an era of reionization, when the formation of new stars in the Universe ceased due to the blocking of light by dense clouds of hydrogen.
This discovery raises many questions among scientists. While other similar galaxies have not resumed star formation, Leo P has suddenly come to life. The reasons for this phenomenon remain unclear. It is only known that the new image from the Webb telescope shows bright blue stars, which indicate the resumption of star formation after a long break.
The study of Leo P is important for understanding the processes of galaxy evolution in the Universe. It also opens up new possibilities for studying the origin of the first stars and how some galaxies can experience repeated cycles of activity. Although such cases are extremely rare, Leo P proves that even "dead" galaxies can become alive again if the right conditions are met.
