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Galaxies Get A ‘Mid-Life Crisis’ & Scientists Aren’t Sure If Ours Is Having One
By Ell Ko, 21 Sep 2021
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Galaxy IC3639, which has an active galactic nucleus similar to the one investigated in this study. Image via ESO/NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI
It’s believed that every galaxy will reach a point in its lifetime that astronomers have dubbed a “mid-life crisis.” During this period, the galaxy will have somewhat of a tantrum and spit away a large part of the gas that makes it up.
This means that the material it needs in order for new stars to form is lost, too. Younger stars, which are bluer, begin to age out and die, while older, redder stars continue to live.
To investigate this phenomenon, a team of researchers from the New York University Abu Dhabi studied the potential role a black hole at the center of the galaxy might play in this. In particular, they looked at one named MaNGA 1-166919.
“MaNGA,” which stands for “Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO,” indicates that it had been part of a survey that mapped nearby galaxies—probably could’ve guessed that one.
This one piqued the team’s interest as there’s an active galactic nucleus in its center. This is due to a humongous black hole disk, and even more humongous amounts of energy. This usually results in the energy being expelled in the form of two intensely bright “jets” that head in opposite directions.
In the paper published in The Astrophysical Journal, the astronomers detail that the galaxy and its black hole were watched both through radio waves and invisible light. Through the observations, it was concluded that these jets were indeed behind the expulsion of gas from the galaxy.
Image via Dey et al.(2019) / legacysurvey.org
There was also some evidence that this traveling gas was affecting the formation of stars. In some areas, it was accelerated; in others, it was hindered. However, the reason this occurs still remains largely a mystery for now.
Further research is needed, the paper states, which will reveal what MaNGA 1-166919 will face in its future. In turn, it’ll also indicate what our own galaxy will see when it hits its own “mid-life crisis.”
Or perhaps it’ll show that it’s already in the middle of one.
[via Space.com, images via ESO/NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI and Dey et al.(2019) / legacysurvey.org]
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