Unraveling Secrets Of Stellar Halos With Subaru Telescope
MessageToEagle.com – Using the Subaru Telescope atop Maunakea, researchers have identified 11 dwarf galaxies and two star-containing halos in the outer region of a large spiral galaxy 25 million light-years away from Earth.
Stellar halos are spherical populations of stars and globular clusters thought to surround most disk galaxies and elliptical galaxies of cD class (found near the centers) of some rich galaxy clusters).
They are fascinating objects for astronomers but difficult to observe and study due to their low luminosity.
The team focused their attention on Galaxy NGC 4631, otherwise known as the Whale Galaxy because of its shape. They identified 11 dwarf galaxies in its outer region, some of which were already known and additionally, two tidal stellar streams orbiting the galaxy: one, called Stream SE, is located in front of it and the other, called Stream NW (the brighter of the pair) is nestled behind it.

Astronomers believe it’s possible that they originated as a result of a gravitational interaction between the Whale Galaxy and a dwarf galaxy orbiting it.
Both streams are relatively fainter than other stellar streams that have been studied around galaxies close to the Milky Way.
It is thought that stellar halos are less common when a galaxy’s total stellar mass is smaller than the stellar mass of larger galaxies, such as the Triangulum Galaxy. As a result of their calculations, the researchers believe that the Whale Galaxy, although large, has a smaller mass than the Milky Way.
Future studies could help further clarify how stellar halos form around galaxies with relatively small masses, the researchers conclude.
This research is published in the Astrophysical Journal, 842, 127.
MessageToEagle.com
Expand for referencesReferences:
Related Posts
-
On This Day In History: Francis Baily First Observed ‘Baily’s Beads’ – On May 15, 1836
No Comments | May 15, 2016 -
Universe Expanding More Rapidly Than Previously Thought – New Research
No Comments | Oct 24, 2019 -
Black Hole Found Hiding In Star Cluster Outside Our Galaxy
No Comments | Nov 12, 2021 -
‘Forbidden’ Planet in ‘Neptunian Desert’ Around its star – Discovered
No Comments | May 29, 2019 -
Hubble Finds A Protoplanet That Could Upend Planet Formation Models
No Comments | Apr 4, 2022 -
Could A Twin Earth Detect Earth? What Does Earth Look Like To The Rest Of The Galaxy?
No Comments | Feb 4, 2025 -
We Know Where Black Holes Get Their Magnetic Fields: Their Parents
No Comments | Nov 19, 2024 -
New Map Of Dark Matter That Supports Einstein’s Theory Of Gravity
No Comments | Apr 12, 2023 -
Astronomers May Have Uncovered How Galaxies Change Their shape
No Comments | Dec 20, 2022 -
Big Bang Theory Challenged By The Bouncing Universe Theory
No Comments | Nov 27, 2017