SAMI Galaxy Survey tagged posts

Study Reports that Age is the Driving Force in Changing how Stars Move within Galaxies

Galaxies get more chaotic as they age
A comparison of a young (top) and old (bottom) galaxy observed as part of the SAMI Galaxy Survey. Panels on the left are regular optical images from the Subaru Telescope. In the middle are rotational velocity maps (blue coming towards us, red going away from us) from SAMI. On the right are maps measuring random velocities (redder colors for greater random velocity). Both galaxies have the same total mass. The top galaxy has an average age of 2 billion years, high rotation and low random motion. The bottom galaxy has an average age of 12.5 billion years, slower rotation and much larger random motion. Credit: Subaru credit: Image from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program

Galaxies start life with their stars rotating in an orderly pattern but in some the motion of stars is more ...

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