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Unveiling the Cosmos: Southampton Astronomers Edge Closer to Cracking the Mystery of Giant Galaxy Formation

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Astronomers are working to unravel an "intergalactic mystery" about how some of the universe’s largest galaxies came into existence, according to a new study.

These massive structures, called elliptical galaxies, resemble bulging footballs in shape, contrasting with the flat disc of the Milky Way. The question of their origin has puzzled researchers for decades.

Now, scientists at the University of Southampton believe they are closer to an answer.

In a recently published paper, Dr. Annagrazia Puglisi proposes that the formation of these galaxies may be linked to galactic collisions that occurred around 12 billion years ago.

"Two disc galaxies smashing together caused gas — the fuel for star formation — to sink into their centers, sparking the creation of trillions of new stars," Dr. Puglisi explained.

These cosmic collisions are thought to have occurred during a period of heightened activity in the universe’s evolution, between 8 and 12 billion years ago.

"Our research brings us a step closer to solving this long-standing astronomical mystery," she added, emphasizing that these findings could reshape our understanding of galaxy formation in the early universe.


A team of astronomers, in collaboration with the Purple Mountain Observatory in China and the Chinese Academy of Science, has taken a significant step in uncovering the mysteries of galaxy formation. They studied over 100 star-forming galaxies in the distant universe using ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array), the world’s largest radio telescope, located in Chile’s Atacama Desert.

The study, led by Dr. Qing-Hua Tan from the Purple Mountain Observatory, employed a groundbreaking technique that examines the distribution of light emitted by faraway, highly luminous galaxies.

"This is the first solid evidence that spheroid galaxies form directly through intense episodes of star formation in the cores of distant galaxies," said Dr. Tan.

The process, long sought after by astrophysicists, reveals that these galaxies form rapidly. "Gas is pulled inward, feeding black holes and triggering bursts of star formation at rates 10 to 100 times faster than in our Milky Way," she added.

Next, the team plans to combine their findings with data from telescopes aboard the James Webb and Euclid satellites, as well as the Chinese Space Station, to map the stellar components of galaxies.

Dr. Annagrazia Puglisi noted, "This integration will provide a more comprehensive understanding of early galaxy formation and shed light on how the universe has evolved since its inception."

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