Status: 16.01.2024, 16:31 PM
By: Tanja Banner
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The newly discovered galaxy "Nube" glows so faintly that it is almost invisible. Their existence could change our understanding of the universe.
Tenerife – A highly unusual galaxy that has been given the name "Nube" (Spanish for "cloud") is causing a stir in astronomy. Led by Mireia Montes (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, IAC), a team of researchers found the galaxy, which has such faint surface brightness that it has not been detected in previous sky surveys. The stars in "Nube" are spread over such a large volume that the galaxy is barely visible.
According to the research team, Nube is likely a dwarf galaxy that is ten times fainter than other galaxies of its kind. At the same time, it extends ten times farther than other objects with a similar number of stars. "With our current knowledge, we don't understand how a galaxy with such extreme properties can exist," said Montes, lead author of a study of the galaxy published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
The galaxy "Nube", observed through various telescopes. © SDSS/GTC/IAC
Strange galaxy baffles astronomy – it appears almost invisible
With the help of the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) on La Palma and the Green Bank Observatory in the USA, the research team estimated the distance of "Nube" to be about 300 million light-years. Future observations with the Very Large Array in the USA and the William Herschel Telescope on La Palma should help to determine the distance more precisely. Ignacio Trujillo, a co-author of the study, emphasizes in a statement: "If the galaxy turns out to be closer, it would still be a very strange object that would pose great challenges to astrophysics."
Montes, the lead author, describes "Nube" as a very strange galaxy: "The density of the stars varies very little throughout the object, which is why it shines so faintly." Normally, galaxies have a higher density of stars in their inner regions, which decreases outwards. Some time ago, a research team with the James Webb Space Telescope discovered numerous galaxies that should not actually exist.
Newly Discovered Galaxy Could Provide Clues to Something Completely Different
The newly discovered, almost invisible galaxy is a mystery to scientists: So far, researchers have not been able to reproduce the extreme properties of the galaxy in cosmological simulations. Montes explains: "We have no useful explanation within the currently accepted cosmological model, that of cold dark matter", adding: "It is possible that with this galaxy and similar galaxies that we could find, we will discover additional clues that will open a new window to understanding the universe".
Trujillo speculates that Nube's extraordinary properties could provide clues to something else entirely, namely, "that the particles that make up dark matter have extremely low mass." In this case, the unusual properties of the galaxy would be evidence of the properties of quantum physics on a galactic scale. The researcher enthuses: "If this hypothesis is confirmed, this would be one of the most beautiful demonstrations of nature, uniting the world of the smallest with that of the largest". (tab)
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