The Hubble Space Telescope has discovered an isolated cosmic fossil that could provide new insights into galaxy formation.
Tucana Dwarf, about 3 million light years from Earth galaxy It is located at the far edge of the Local Group of galaxies, which includes our Milky Way. The galaxy is home to old stars that researchers believe may contain traces of the early universe, according to a NASA statement.
“Because of these perfect characteristics, scientists have identified the Tucana Dwarf as the most fossil“NASA official said in a statement A new image will be released on August 23rd.
Hubble has captured billions of twinkling stars in a sparkling new view of the Tucana dwarf galaxy. star Against the dark background of space, these stars appear to shine brightly in the new image, but they are actually relatively dim due to their age. Scientists call this type of galaxy a dwarf globular galaxy, which describes a small galaxy with low luminosity, little dust, and an old star population.
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“As a dwarf galaxy, it is much smaller and less luminous than most other galaxies. dwarf galaxy“The thinness of the dust and the large number of stars in the older region make it appear dim,” NASA officials said in a statement.
The Tucana Dwarf Galaxy is located about 3.6 million light-years from the center of mass of the Local Group of galaxies. Milky Way And other galaxies. The researchers suggested that the Tucana Dwarf Galaxy may have retreated to this isolated corner of the universe after a close encounter with its larger galactic neighbor, Andromeda, about 11 billion years ago. The gravitational force generated by that interaction would have thrown the smaller companion galaxy (in this case, the Tucana Dwarf) further away, the statement said.
“Dwarf galaxies may be the early building blocks of larger galaxies, and because the old stars that inhabit these isolated environments are abundant, analyzing them can help trace galaxy formation back to the beginning of time,” NASA officials said in a statement.
Hubble was able to observe the distant Tucana Dwarf galaxy via the Local Group. Advanced camera for surveys And wide-field and planetary cameras 2. Studying the structure, composition, and evolution of stars in galaxies will help researchers better understand the epoch of reionization when the first stars and galaxies formed billions of years ago.
