March 29, 2024

News Collective

Complete New Zealand News World

Scientists have discovered that through star formation, galaxies pollute space

Scientists have discovered that through star formation, galaxies pollute space

07-28-2021 The dwarf globular galaxy Fornax. ESO Research and Technology Policy/Digital Sky Survey 2.

Environmental pollution is one of the current problems that afflict scientists and defenders of nature in the world. Taking into account the exponential growth experienced all over the planet.

The effects of climate change are increasingly detrimental to the sustainability of the Earth, and according to the United Nations, some of them, in addition to being tragic, are irreversible.

“Many observed changes in climate not seen in thousands, but hundreds of thousands of years, and Some of the changes that are already taking place, such as continued sea level rise, are irreversible for hundreds or thousands of yearsThe United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said.

However, it seems that pollution exists not only on this planet, but in the universe, even without human presence, It can contaminate itself. This was explained by a group of astronomers from the ARC Center of Excellence for All Astrophysics in Three Dimensions (known as ASTRO 3D), who discovered that, “What flows into the galaxy is much cleaner than what flows out.”

“Huge clouds of gas enter galaxies and are used in the process of star formation (…) Their path is made of hydrogen and helium. Using new equipment called the Keck Cosmic Web Imager, we were able to make sure that stars made of this fresh gas eventually eject a large amount of Material is out of order, mainly through supernovae. But this material is no longer nice and clean, it contains many other elements, including oxygen, carbon and ironDean Fisher, co-lead author of this research and associate professor in the Center for Astrophysics and Supercomputing at Swinburne University in Australia explained.

The Centaurus A galaxy in a highly detailed image taken by the Victor M. Blanco Telescope in Cerro Tololo (Chile).  EFE / CTIO / NOIRLab / DOE / NSF / AURA
The Centaurus A galaxy in a highly detailed image taken by the Victor M. Blanco Telescope in Cerro Tololo (Chile). EFE / CTIO / NOIRLab / DOE / NSF / AURA

According to research, in the formation of stars, there are two great astronomical phenomena known as “Accumulation”, which is the process by which atoms flood galaxies to give birth to stars, and “Departing”, which is “an important mechanism that controls the growth, mass, and size of galaxies.”

See also  A study showed how the brain can "create" a false memory

For this discovery, scientists turned their attention to a galaxy called Mrk 1486, located in it “The period of star formation very quickly”500 million light-years away from the solar system.

“We found that there is a very clear structure of how gases enter and leave. Imagine the galaxy is a spinning Frisbee disk. Relatively unpolluted gas enters from outside the universe, around the ocean, and then condenses to form new stars. “When those stars later explode, they expel other gas, which now contains these other elements, from the top and bottom,” said Alex Cameron, who is currently doing research at Oxford University in the UK.

“The elements, which make up more than half of the periodic table, form inside the cores of stars through nuclear fusion. When stars collapse or become supernovae, the results shoot out into the universe, where they form part of the matrix from which new stars, planets, and asteroids emerge, and in at least one case Life emerges

Finally, scientists say this research is important to learn more about the life of galaxies, As well as more aesthetic data about it, such as the reason for its appearance and its duration.

Read on