formation of massive galaxies and the creation of stars tagged posts

Cold Gas Pipelines Feeding Early, Massive Galaxies

Graphic illustrating detection of a cold gas accretion stream in absorption
Researchers led by the University of Iowa have detected cosmic pipelines supplying the cold gases necessary for the formation of massive galaxies and the creation of stars. It is the first direct observational evidence of the phenomenon in the early universe. Image courtesy of Hai Fu.

Researchers have detected cosmic pipelines supplying the cold gases necessary for the formation of massive galaxies and the creation of stars. It is the first direct observational evidence of the phenomenon in the early universe.

To come into being, galaxies need a steady diet of cold gases to undergo gravitational collapse. The larger the galaxy, the more cold gas it needs to coalesce and to grow.

Massive galaxies found in the early universe needed a lot of cold gas — a store totaling as much as 10...

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