Astronomers discovered hundreds of destroyed galaxies in the Virgo cluster
NEW YORK, BRONX (ORDO News) — Astronomers working with the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii have discovered the collapsing remains of 100 dwarf galaxies in the Virgo cluster.
These observations reveal an important link in the evolution of ultracompact dwarf galaxies (UCDs), allowing us to better understand their origins.
Astronomers have presented UCDs as “fossils” of ordinary dwarf galaxies destroyed by larger galaxies. This process causes intense gravitational interactions, stripping smaller objects of their stars and gas.
Relatively recently discovered UCDs in the central regions of galaxy clusters have attracted attention due to their high stellar density and unusual characteristics.
They are larger, brighter and more massive than the largest globular clusters in the Milky Way, but are more compact than ordinary dwarf galaxies.
Studies have shown that UCDs have a mass-to-light ratio twice that of comparable galaxy clusters.
This could indicate the presence of stellar populations with extreme mass distributions, or even the presence of small-scale concentrations of dark matter. This discovery opens new horizons for studying the grouping of dark matter particles.
Astronomers have studied the Virgo Cluster, where more than 2,000 galaxies lie 65 million light years away.
Their study, published in the journal Nature, covers dozens of dwarf galaxies at different stages of transformation, providing a comprehensive picture of their evolution.
New galaxies in the early stages of UCD formation have been discovered in the Virgo cluster. The gravitational influence of massive neighbors likely strips them of stars and gas, forming unique objects with stretched envelopes.
These observations provide a unique opportunity to see the transformation of dwarf galaxies in UCD. Astronomers are excited about the possibility of discovering additional low-mass remnants that could unlock mysteries about the evolution of galaxies in the Universe.
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News agencies contributed to this report, edited and published by ORDO News editors.
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