A group of Indian astronomers has identified a faint but star-forming galaxy that lies in front of a larger, brighter galaxy previously undiscovered. The galaxy, which looks ghostly, contains traces of stars still developing in it and is only 136 million light-years away.
Reportedly, a group of researchers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bengaluru, along with foreign partners, discovered the galaxy while analyzing NGC6902A, a well-known interactive galaxy. The first signs of the hidden galaxy emerged when scientists spotted diffuse blue emission in the color image of the galaxy’s southwestern outer region NGC 6902A.
ALSO SEE: Sound travels slower on Mars compared to Earth; NASA Rover Reveals Mystery Behind It
These emissions came from newborn stars of class O and B, the most massive and also the shortest-lived stars in the galaxy. The researchers were inspired by the unusual property to look further into it to find out what caused the interaction. The galaxy is distinguished by its low surface brightness, which is at least 10 times that of the adjacent night sky, making it difficult to see. However, as optical telescopes develop more power, they will be able to detect the faint brightness emitted by these galaxies.
Indian astronomers think Galaxy has a ‘ghostly’ appearance. pic.twitter.com/uOW82gkj6I
— ∞∃⊍ (@LuisAlf56219734) Apr 3, 2022
According to the researchers, such faint galaxies could account for up to 15% of the mass of the Universe. Likewise, based on the research published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, the new galaxy has been given the designation UVIT J2022. This discovery suggests that there may be more faint galaxies connected to larger, brighter galaxies that have yet to be identified.
Cover Image: Unsplash