Mystery of how giant galaxies formed could be close to being solved

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. This is the first real evidence that spheroids form directly through intense episodes of star formation located in the cores of distant galaxies Study lead Dr Qing-Hua Tan She said: “Two disc galaxies smashing together caused gas, the fuel from which stars are formed, to sink towards their centre, generating trillions of new stars. “Our findings take us closer to solving a long-standing mystery in astronomy that will redefine our understanding of how galaxies were created in the early universe.” Working with the Purple Mountain Observatory in China and the Chinese Academy of Science, the team has analysed more than 100 star-forming galaxies in the distant universe using the world’s largest radio telescope, known as Alma, in Chile’s Atacama desert. She said: “This is the first real evidence that spheroids form directly through intense episodes of star formation located in the cores of distant galaxies. “These galaxies form quickly – gas is sucked inwards to feed black holes and triggers bursts of stars, which are created at rates 10 to 100 times faster than our Milky Way.” The scientists will now combine their findings with data taken from telescopes aboard the James Webb and Euclid satellites, and the Chinese Space Station, to map the stellar components of galaxies.