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Galaxies shielded from star formation, discovers team led by Indian origin researcher!
The Krishnarao-led team was able to identify and classify the material around the Large Magellanic Cloud and establish the existence of the corona by examining trends in ultraviolet light from 28 quasars.
September 29, 2022: With the help of NASA's Hubble Telescope, for the first time, a team of researchers, led by experts of Indian heritage, has confirmed that the largest satellite galaxies of our Milky Way are, in fact, shielded from star formation.
"A lot of people were struggling to explain how these streams of material could be there. If this gas was removed from these galaxies, how are they still forming stars?" Krishnarao said in a paper published in Nature.
The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, the two largest satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, have been in a long-term orbital relationship.
The Magellanic Clouds are the largest satellites of the Milky Way and are believed to be on their first in-falling passage around the Milky Way. They are dwarf galaxies located roughly 160,000 light-years from Earth.
The star-forming gas that is essential to the dwarf galaxies is assumed to be buffered by the corona from the gravitational influence of the Milky Way, which is much bigger.
The corona's existence was foreseen by astronomers years ago.
The Krishnarao-led team was able to identify and classify the material around the Large Magellanic Cloud and establish the existence of the corona by examining trends in ultraviolet light from 28 quasars.
According to scientists, a galaxy's corona is a piece of the original gas cloud that imploded billions of years ago to create the galaxy.
Extremely precise UV spectra were needed to be able to identify the corona.
"The resolution of Hubble and FUSE were crucial for this study. The corona gas is so diffuse, it's barely even there," said Krishnarao.
It is also blended with other gases, such as material from the Milky Way and streams taken from the Magellanic Clouds.
The team's analysis of the data revealed that gas production declines with increasing distance from the Large Magellanic Cloud's core.
"It's a perfect telltale signature that this corona is really there," said Krishnarao. "It really is cocooning the galaxy and protecting it."
This article is written by Diya Mukherjee
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