IZw18: the galaxy that reveals the history of the universe

 

  Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxy I Zwicky 18

A map of ionized helium in the galaxy has just been published which indicates the presence of peculiar stars similar to the first that ever shone in the universe 

The first galaxies were formed some 13.3 billion years ago, mainly composed of hydrogen and helium, the primary elements that emerged from the Big Bang. Their study to date has been technically very challenging due to their great distance from us, but the observation of analogous galaxies in our vicinity has turned out to be an excellent shortcut.

"Dwarf galaxy IZw18 is the least abundant in metals (in astrophysics, elements heavier than hydrogen and helium) in the nearby universe, and one of the most akin to the primeval galaxies. Its study therefore allows us to catch glimpses of the conditions that prevailed in the primordial universe”, says Carolina Kehrig, researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia in charge of the study that analyses the properties of IZw18.

The study has found a very large region in this small galaxy of ionized helium, which tends to be more frequent in very distant galaxies with low presence of metals. The ionization of helium implies the presence of objects emitting a radiation intense enough to knock electrons off the helium atoms. "In this study we propose a new interpretation of the origin of this radiation in galaxy IZw18, a subject which is still enigmatic”, Kehrig says.

Using the PMAS integral field spectrograph of the 3.5 meter telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory (CAHA), researchers have obtained the first detailed map of this region of  IZw18 and have analyzed possible ionizing sources.

Conventional sources of ionization, such as Wolf-Rayet stars – very massive and with very violent stellar winds – or shocks generated by remnants of supernovae, cannot provide the energy necessary to explain the halo of ionized helium present on  IZw18, so researchers considered other possibilities.

"Our data point to the fact that extremely hot stars, such as supermassive stars with low metal content or massive stars practically devoid of metals may hold the key to the enigma of the excitement of helium on IZw18, even though the existence of these stars has not yet been confirmed by observations on any galaxy”, says Carolina Kehrig (IAA-CSIC).

We would be talking about very hot stars analogous to first generation stars (known as Population III stars) which, according to theoretical models, would be composed only of hydrogen and helium and could be hundreds of times more massive than the Sun. These stars are believed to have played a decisive role in the “reionization” of the universe, during which period the first stars and galaxies became visible and which is still little known.

This study shows how it is possible to extract information about the history of the universe within our own galactic vicinity.

Reference:

C. Kehrig, J.M. Vilchez, E. Perez-Montero, J. Iglesias-Paramo, J. Brinchmann, D. Kunth, F. Durret, F.M. Bayo "The extended HeIIλ4686-emitting region in IZw18: clues for peculiar ionizing sources".  Astrophysical Journal Letters. DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/801/2/L28

Contact: 

Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC)
Unidad de Divulgación y Comunicación
Silbia López de Lacalle - sll@iaa.es - 958230532

PGC 51017

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Acknowledgement: Alessandra Aloisi (STScI) and Nick Rose

The bright streak of glowing gas and stars in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is known as PGC 51017, or SBSG 1415+437. It is type of galaxy known as a blue compact dwarf.

This particular dwarf is well studied and has an interesting star formation history. Astronomers initially thought that SBS 1415+437 was a very young galaxy currently undergoing its very first burst of star formation, but more recent studies have suggested that the galaxy is in fact a little older, containing stars over 1.3 billion years old.

Starbursts are an area of ongoing research for astronomers — short-lived and intense periods of star formation, during which huge amounts of gas within a galaxy are hungrily used up to form newborn stars.

They have been seen in gas-rich disc galaxies, and in some lower-mass dwarfs. However, it is still unclear whether all dwarf galaxies experience starbursts as part of their evolution. It is possible that dwarf galaxies undergo a star formation cycle, with bursts occurring repeatedly over time.

SBS 1415+437 is an interesting target for another reason. Dwarf galaxies like this are thought to have formed early in the Universe, producing some of the very first stars before merging together to create more massive galaxies. Dwarf galaxies which contain very few of the heavier elements formed from having several generations of stars, like SBS 1415+437, remain some of the best places to study star-forming processes similar to those thought to occur in the early Universe. However, it seems that our nearby patch of the Universe may not contain any galaxies that are currently undergoing their first burst of star formation.

A version of this image was entered into the Hubble’s Hidden Treasures image processing competition by contestant Nick Rose.

Source: ESA/Hubble - Space Telescope

A Peculiar Compact Blue Dwarf Galaxy

NGC 5253

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Acknowledgement: N. Sulzenauer

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope provides us this week with an impressive image of the irregular galaxy NGC 5253.

NGC 5253 is one of the nearest of the known Blue Compact Dwarf (BCD) galaxies, and is located at a distance of about 12 million light-years from Earth in the southern constellation of Centaurus. The most characteristic signature of these galaxies is that they harbour very active star-formation regions. This is in spite of their low dust content and comparative lack of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, which are usually the basic ingredients for star formation.

These galaxies contain molecular clouds that are quite similar to the pristine clouds that formed the first stars in the early Universe, which were devoid of dust and heavier elements. Hence, astronomers consider the BCD galaxies to be an ideal testbed for better understanding the primordial star-forming process.

NGC 5253 does contain some dust and heavier elements, but significantly less than the Milky Way galaxy. Its central regions are dominated by an intense star forming region that is embedded in an elliptical main body, which appears red in Hubble’s image. The central starburst zone consists of a rich environment of hot, young stars concentrated in star clusters, which glow in blue in the image. Traces of the starburst itself can be seen as a faint and diffuse glow produced by the ionised oxygen gas.

The true nature of BCD galaxies has puzzled astronomers for a long time. Numerical simulations following the current leading cosmological theory of galaxy formation, known as the Lambda Cold Dark Matter model, predict that there should be far more satellite dwarf galaxies orbiting big galaxies like the Milky Way. Astronomers refer to this discrepancy as the Dwarf Galaxy Problem.

This galaxy is considered part of the Centaurus A/Messier 83 group of galaxies, which includes the famous radio galaxy Centaurus A and the spiral galaxy Messier 83. Astronomers have pointed out the possibility that the peculiar nature of NGC 5253 could result from a close encounter with Messier 83, its closer neighbour.

This image was taken with the Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys, combining visible and infrared exposures. The field of view in this image is approximately 3.4 by 3.4 arcminutes.

A version of this image was entered into the Hubble’s Hidden Treasures image processing competition by contestant Nikolaus Sulzenauer.

Source: ESA/Hubble - Space Telescope

 

Violent star formation episodes in dwarf galaxies

NGC 3738

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has imaged the faint irregular galaxy NGC 3738, a starburst galaxy. The galaxy is in the midst of a violent episode of star formation, during which it is converting reservoirs of hydrogen gas harboured in the galaxy’s centre into stars. Hubble spots this gas glowing red around NGC 3738, one of the most distinctive signs of ongoing star formation.

Lying in the constellation of Ursa Major (The Great Bear), NGC 3738 is located about 12 million light-years from the Sun, and belongs to the Messier 81 group of galaxies. This galaxy — first observed by astronomer William Herschel  back in 1789 — is a nearby example of a blue compact dwarf, the faintest type of starburst galaxy. Blue compact dwarfs are small compared to large spiral galaxies — NGC 3738 is around 10 000 light-years across, just one tenth of the size of the Milky Way.

This type of galaxy is blue in appearance by virtue of containing large clusters of hot, massive stars, which ionise the surrounding interstellar gas with their intense ultraviolet radiation. They are relatively faint and appear to be irregular in shape. Unlike spirals or elliptical galaxies, irregular galaxies do not have any distinctive features, such as a nuclear bulge or spiral arms. Rather, they are extremely chaotic in appearance. These galaxies are thought to resemble some of the earliest that formed in the Universe and may provide clues as to how stars appeared shortly after the Big Bang. 

This image was created by combining visual and infrared images taken with the Wide Field Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys aboard the Hubble Space Telescope. The field of view of the Wide Field Channel is approximately 3.4 by 3.4 arcminutes wide.

Source: ESA/Hubble - Space Telescope