Heat from Starbursts Influence Galaxy Evolution
Article Title: “Heat from starbursts influence galaxy evolution”
Source: Hubble ESA, Garching, Germany, 5 April 2013
URL: http://www.astronomy.com/News-Observing/News/2013/04/Heat%20from%20starbursts%20influences%20galaxy%20evolution.aspx
Starbursts, literally meaning energetic “bursts of star” formation, have been found to change how the galaxy evolves as well as how matter and energy are dispersed throughout the universe. An international team of astronomers used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to conduct research by observing 20 neighbouring galaxies and found that the combined effect of the energy emitted from starbursts can propel a powerful wind that travels out of the galaxy that can affect distances up to 20 times greater than the visible size of the host galaxy. The astronomers utilized the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) instrument on the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to study the light emitted from a mixed sample of starburst vs. control galaxies. The magnification allowed further analysis, revealing further distant objects known as quasars – a highly luminous region in the center of galaxies, powered by supermassive black holes. By examining the light emitted from quasars after going through the earlier galaxies, they were able to show that bursts of star formation have a significant influence on the evolution of galaxies. Using the COS on the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, the team of astronomers concluded that they were only able to conduct this experiment to record these observations because of the COS’ ability to analyze hot gas. This was significant due to the large amounts of sample of highly ionized gas that the starburst galaxies contained in comparison to the galaxies that were not experiencing starbursts. Results indicated that the highly ionization of gas was due to the formation of energetic winds created by the newly forming stars. The researchers found this experiment significant as it provides insight into how stars and
Source: Hubble ESA, Garching, Germany, 5 April 2013
URL: http://www.astronomy.com/News-Observing/News/2013/04/Heat%20from%20starbursts%20influences%20galaxy%20evolution.aspx
Starbursts, literally meaning energetic “bursts of star” formation, have been found to change how the galaxy evolves as well as how matter and energy are dispersed throughout the universe. An international team of astronomers used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to conduct research by observing 20 neighbouring galaxies and found that the combined effect of the energy emitted from starbursts can propel a powerful wind that travels out of the galaxy that can affect distances up to 20 times greater than the visible size of the host galaxy. The astronomers utilized the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) instrument on the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to study the light emitted from a mixed sample of starburst vs. control galaxies. The magnification allowed further analysis, revealing further distant objects known as quasars – a highly luminous region in the center of galaxies, powered by supermassive black holes. By examining the light emitted from quasars after going through the earlier galaxies, they were able to show that bursts of star formation have a significant influence on the evolution of galaxies. Using the COS on the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, the team of astronomers concluded that they were only able to conduct this experiment to record these observations because of the COS’ ability to analyze hot gas. This was significant due to the large amounts of sample of highly ionized gas that the starburst galaxies contained in comparison to the galaxies that were not experiencing starbursts. Results indicated that the highly ionization of gas was due to the formation of energetic winds created by the newly forming stars. The researchers found this experiment significant as it provides insight into how stars and