Energy News  
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
ALMA spots most distant dusty galaxy hidden in plain sight
by Staff Writers
Charlottesville VA (SPX) Dec 12, 2019

ALMA radio image of the dusty star-forming galaxy called MAMBO-9. The galaxy consists of two parts, and it is in the process of merging.

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have spotted the light of a massive galaxy seen only 970 million years after the Big Bang. This galaxy, called MAMBO-9, is the most distant dusty star-forming galaxy that has ever been observed without the help of a gravitational lens.

Dusty star-forming galaxies are the most intense stellar nurseries in the universe. They form stars at a rate up to a few thousand times the mass of the Sun per year (the star-forming rate of our Milky Way is just three solar masses per year) and they contain massive amounts of gas and dust. Such monster galaxies are not expected to have formed early in the history of the universe, but astronomers have already discovered several of them as seen when the cosmos was less than a billion years old. One of them is galaxy SPT0311-58, which ALMA observed in 2018. Because of their extreme behavior, astronomers think that these dusty galaxies play an important role in the evolution of the universe. But finding them is easier said than done. "These galaxies tend to hide in plain sight," said Caitlin Casey of the University of Texas at Austin and lead author of a study published in the Astrophysical Journal. "We know they are out there, but they are not easy to find because their starlight is hidden in clouds of dust."

MAMBO-9's light was already detected ten years ago by co-author Manuel Aravena, using the Max-Planck Millimeter BOlometer (MAMBO) instrument on the IRAM 30-meter telescope in Spain and the Plateau de Bure Interferometer in France. But these observations were not sensitive enough to reveal the distance of the galaxy. "We were in doubt if it was real, because we couldn't find it with other telescopes. But if it was real, it had to be very far away," says Aravena, who was at that time a PhD student in Germany and is currently working for the Universidad Diego Portales in Chile.

Thanks to ALMA's sensitivity, Casey and her team have now been able to determine the distance of MAMBO-9. "We found the galaxy in a new ALMA survey specifically designed to identify dusty star-forming galaxies in the early universe," said Casey. "And what is special about this observation, is that this is the most distant dusty galaxy we have ever seen in an unobstructed way."

The light of distant galaxies is often obstructed by other galaxies closer to us. These galaxies in front work as a gravitational lens: they bend the light from the more distant galaxy. This lensing effect makes it easier for telescopes to spot distant objects (this is how ALMA could see galaxy SPT0311-58). But it also distorts the image of the object, making it harder to make out the details.

In this study, the astronomers saw MAMBO-9 directly, without a lens, and this allowed them to measure its mass. "The total mass of gas and dust in the galaxy is enormous: ten times more than all the stars in the Milky Way. This means that it has yet to build most of its stars," Casey explained. The galaxy consists of two parts, and it is in the process of merging.

Casey hopes to find more distant dusty galaxies in the ALMA survey, which will give insight into how common they are, how these massive galaxies formed so early in the universe, and why they are so dusty. "Dust is normally a by-product of dying stars," she said. "We expect one hundred times more stars than dust. But MAMBO-9 has not produced that many stars yet and we want to find out how dust can form so fast after the Big Bang."

"Observations with new and more capable technology can produce unexpected findings like MAMBO-9," said Joe Pesce, National Science Foundation Program Officer for NRAO and ALMA. "While it is challenging to explain such a massive galaxy so early in the history of the universe, discoveries like this allow astronomers to develop an improved understanding of, and ask ever more questions about, the universe."

The light from MAMBO-9 travelled about 13 billion years to reach ALMA's antennas (the universe is approximately 13.8 billion years old today). That means that we can see what the galaxy looked like in the past (Watch this video to learn how ALMA works as a time-machine). Today, the galaxy would probably be even bigger, containing one hundred times more stars than the Milky Way, residing in a massive galaxy cluster.

Research Report: "Physical characterization of an unlensed dusty star-forming galaxy at z = 5.85,"


Related Links
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Stellar Chemistry, The Universe And All Within It


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Swiss space telescope CHEOPS launch set for 17 December
Bern, Switzerland (SPX) Dec 06, 2019
The space telescope CHEOPS is scheduled to begin its journey into space on Tuesday, December 17th, onboard a Soyuz rocket from the European Space Agency (ESA) in Kourou, French Guiana. CHEOPS is a joint mission of ESA and Switzerland, led by the University of Bern, in collaboration with the University of Geneva. CHEOPS (short for CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite) consists of a space telescope developed and assembled by the University of Bern, in collaboration with the University of Geneva (UNIGE ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Bayer targets climate-neutral business by 2030

Africa caught between climate and growth: top diplomat

EU to miss 2020 green goals: agency

Insurer Axa plans total carbon divestment by 2040

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Fusion by strong lasers

Detours may make batteries better

Electronic map reveals 'rules of the road' in superconductor

Proton-hydrogen collision model could impact fusion research

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Saving bats from wind turbine death

DTEK reaches 1 GW of renewable energy generation capacity in Ukraine

Global winds reverse decades of slowing and pick up speed

Superconducting wind turbine chalks up first test success

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Silver improves the efficiency of monograin layer solar cells

Renewable energy developer offers 125MW and 300MW solar farm projects in Texas

New method to remove dust on solar panels

JinkoSolar supplies 40 MW to Obton for Almelo Project in the Netherlands

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Framatome signs a cooperation agreement with Japan on the development of fast neutron reactors

At 50, Europe's oldest nuclear plant not ready to retire

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy awarded contract to support decommissioning of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station

New broom at UN nuclear watchdog as Iran tensions rise

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Put a brake on bioenergy by 2050 to avoid negative climate impacts

Scientists devise catalyst that uses light to turn carbon dioxide to fuel

Co-combustion of wood and oil-shale reduces carbon emissions

Sustaining roads with grape and agricultural waste

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Japan weighing visit by Iran's President Rouhani

Fossil fuel groups 'destroying' climate talks: NGOs

Esper: US never discussed, considered sending 14K more troops to Gulf

New York judge sides with Exxon Mobil in climate fraud case

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Young people take to the streets for climate: Who are they?

Solving climate crisis requires leadership: Bloomberg

UN talks out of sync with global climate demands

Bloomberg at UN climate talks to push for US action









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.