NASA scientists have made a startling discovery. According to a new paper released by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center , astronomers have detected what they believe is a galactic fossil ecosystem filled with X-rays that could illuminate new aspects of galaxy evolution.
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The discovery is described at length in both the report and a new video shared on YouTube. The video explains how the galaxy NGC 4945 went into an explosive star formation spree thanks to the explosion of the supermassive black hole at its center about 5 million years ago.
It's a fascinating story that sheds light on the unique appearance of this galaxy and galactic evolution in general. By studying this galactic fossil in more detail, NASA scientists can hope to uncover the details of why the black hole at its center exploded and fully determine whether it was this explosion that prompted the galaxy to form stars with intensity.
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Kimberly Weaver, an astrophysicist at Goddard who led the research, presented the findings at the 243rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society in New Orleans on Jan. 11. The team also has a paper on the findings, which is currently under review by The Astrophysical Journal. If accepted, it will be published for everyone to read.
NGC 4945 is an active galaxy located about 13 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Centaurus. As mentioned above, it has a supermassive black hole at its center and is a hotbed of intense star formation, a so-called “starburst.” Scientists estimate that this galactic fossil produces the equivalent mass of 18 Suns every year. That’s nearly three times the rate of star formation in Milky Way .
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Furthermore, most of this star formation occurs in the center of the galaxy. These starburst events, as seen in this galactic fossil, are estimated to last from 10 to 100 million years, so it is unclear when NGC 4945's star formation will be complete.
Source: BGR
