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Astronomers have studied a rare class of galaxies, ultradiffuse galaxies (UDGs), which are the smallest and dimmest in the Universe. About half of them have unexpected rotational motions of their stars, contradicting previous ideas about their formation and evolution. The discovery changes our understanding of how dwarf galaxies form and how they relate to larger stellar systems.
The research, conducted using the ground-based Very Large Telescope, analyzed dozens of ultra-diffuse galaxies in the Hydra cluster, located 160 million light-years from Earth. Particular attention was paid to the galaxy UDG32, which is located at the end of a gas filament emanating from the spiral galaxy NGC 3314A. Scientists confirmed that this structure is not accidental - UDG32 was likely formed precisely because of its massive neighbor.
Another unexpected finding is the increased abundance of heavy chemical elements in UDG32's stars compared to other ultradiffuse galaxies, suggesting that the material for their formation came from an older, more massive galaxy.
These results support the theory that ultradiffuse galaxies can form from gaseous filaments that are pulled out of larger galaxies by gravitational interactions. They also provide new insights into star formation processes and the structure of the dark matter distribution in the Universe.
Astronomers have studied a rare class of galaxies, ultradiffuse galaxies (UDGs), which are the smallest and dimmest in the Universe. About half of them have unexpected rotational motions of their stars, contradicting previous ideas about their formation and evolution. The discovery changes our understanding of how dwarf galaxies form and how they relate to larger stellar systems.
The research, conducted using the ground-based Very Large Telescope, analyzed dozens of ultra-diffuse galaxies in the Hydra cluster, located 160 million light-years from Earth. Particular attention was paid to the galaxy UDG32, which is located at the end of a gas filament emanating from the spiral galaxy NGC 3314A. Scientists confirmed that this structure is not accidental - UDG32 was likely formed precisely because of its massive neighbor.
Another unexpected finding is the increased abundance of heavy chemical elements in UDG32's stars compared to other ultradiffuse galaxies, suggesting that the material for their formation came from an older, more massive galaxy.
These results support the theory that ultradiffuse galaxies can form from gaseous filaments that are pulled out of larger galaxies by gravitational interactions. They also provide new insights into star formation processes and the structure of the dark matter distribution in the Universe.
