Among all space mysteries, the creation of the universe’s grandest galaxies is among the most mystifying, but new research has brought astronomers one step closer to deciphering this phenomenon. A study published in Nature details the process that spawned immense galaxies, which could help unravel the evolution of the universe since the beginning of time.
Exploring the Origins of Elliptical Galaxies
The study — a collaboration between the University of Southampton, China’s Purple Mountain Observatory, the Chinese Academy of Science, and several other institutions — observed the birth sites of elliptical galaxies, finding that galactic collisions were key to their formation.
These galaxies often appear to have a round or oval shape and are less structured than the brighter, disk-shaped spiral galaxies, known for their “arms” that are abundant in gas and young stars. Elliptical galaxies, with less gas and dust, generally contain older stars.
