Unearthed: Astronomers Discover a ‘Fossil Galaxy’ That’s Stood Still for Billions of Years – The Dinosaurs of the Universe!

Astronomers have made an exciting discovery: a distant galaxy called KiDS J0842+0059. This galaxy is being described as a “cosmic fossil,” meaning it has remained unchanged for billions of years. Just like dinosaur fossils help us understand evolution on Earth, this galaxy helps unravel the history of cosmic evolution.

A cosmic fossil is a galaxy that has largely avoided collisions with other galaxies, allowing it to serve as a rare time capsule. Research using the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) shows KiDS J0842+0059 has been stable for about 7 billion years. Crescenzo Dove, a researcher from the National Institute for Astrophysics, calls it a “perfectly preserved” find, helping scientists understand how the first galaxies formed and how the universe has evolved.

KiDS J0842+0059 is located 3 billion light-years from Earth and was discovered in 2018 during the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS). Using images from the Very Large Telescope Survey, astronomers measured its size and mass. They found that this galaxy has a stellar mass around a hundred billion times that of the sun but is more compact than other galaxies of similar mass. Interestingly, it has experienced very little star formation throughout its life, reinforcing its status as a fossil galaxy.

To gain clearer images of KiDS J0842+0059, researchers used adaptive optics from the LBT. This enhanced their images, revealing stunning details, showcasing its unique shape similar to that of another rare galaxy, NGC 1277, which is much closer at about 240 million light-years away. This connection illustrates how galaxies like these can form quickly and remain dormant for eons.

Experts believe studying these cosmic fossils enhances our understanding of galaxy formation. “By comparing these ancient galaxies with today’s massive galaxies, we can piece together their history and evolution,” said Chiara Spiniello from the University of Oxford.

Their findings were published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. As technology advances, particularly with the upcoming Euclid space telescope, scientists hope to confirm and study even more relic galaxies, contributing further to our knowledge of the universe.

Source link