Spiral galaxies are perhaps the most fascinating structures in astronomy, yet their nature is still a mystery. Astronomers currently ha...
Spiral galaxies are perhaps the most fascinating structures in astronomy, yet their nature is still a mystery. Astronomers currently have two categories of theories that can explain this structure, depending on the environment of the galaxy, but a new study suggests that one of these theories may be wrong.
For galaxies with nearby companions, astronomers theorize that tidal forces may pull out the spiral structure. But for isolated galaxies, another mechanism is required in which galaxies form these structures without intervention from a neighbor.A possible solution to isolated galaxies was first worked out in 1964 by Lin & Shu in which they suggested that the winding structure is merely an illusion. Instead, these arms weren’t moving structures, but areas of greater density which remained stationary as stars entered and exited them.One of the main questions on this theory has been the longevity of the overdense region. According to Lin & Shu as well as many other astronomers, these structures are generally stable over long time periods.New research, led by Kelly Foyle from McMaster University in Ontario, examined the progression of star formation as gas and dust entered the shock region produced by the Lin-Shu density wave. If the theory was correct, they should expect to find a progression in which they would first find cold HI gas and carbon monoxide, and then offsets of warm molecular hydrogen and 24 μm emission from stars forming in clouds, and finally, another offset of the UV emission of fully formed and unobscured stars.
For galaxies with nearby companions, astronomers theorize that tidal forces may pull out the spiral structure. But for isolated galaxies, another mechanism is required in which galaxies form these structures without intervention from a neighbor.A possible solution to isolated galaxies was first worked out in 1964 by Lin & Shu in which they suggested that the winding structure is merely an illusion. Instead, these arms weren’t moving structures, but areas of greater density which remained stationary as stars entered and exited them.One of the main questions on this theory has been the longevity of the overdense region. According to Lin & Shu as well as many other astronomers, these structures are generally stable over long time periods.New research, led by Kelly Foyle from McMaster University in Ontario, examined the progression of star formation as gas and dust entered the shock region produced by the Lin-Shu density wave. If the theory was correct, they should expect to find a progression in which they would first find cold HI gas and carbon monoxide, and then offsets of warm molecular hydrogen and 24 μm emission from stars forming in clouds, and finally, another offset of the UV emission of fully formed and unobscured stars.
The team examined 12 nearby spiral galaxies, including M 51, M 63, M 66, M 74, M 81, and M 95. These galaxies represented several variations of spiral galaxies such as grand design spirals, barred spirals, flocculent spirals and an interacting spiral.
When using a computer algorithm to examine each for offsets that would support the Lin-Shu theory, the team reported that they could not find a difference in location between the three different phases of star formation. This contradicts the previous studies (which were done “by eye” and thus subject to potential bias) and casts doubt on long lived spiral structure as predicted by the Lin-Shu theory. Instead, this finding is in agreement with the possibility of transient spiral arms that break apart and reform periodically.
Another option, one that salvages the density wave theory is that there are multiple “pattern speeds” producing more complex density waves and thus blurs the expected offsets. This possibility is supported by a 2009 study which mapped these speeds and found that several spiral galaxies are likely to exhibit such behavior. Lastly, the team notes that the technique itself may be flawed and underestimating the emission from each zone of star formation. To settle the question, astronomers will need to produce more refined models and explore the regions in greater detail and in more galaxies.
The new image at the top of the page is from the Japanese infrared space telescope AKARI revealing giant star-forming regions on the edge of the spiral galaxy M101. The findings suggest M101 is something of a special case, since star formation more usually happens in the denser central part of spiral galaxies.
The galaxy is roughly twice the size of our own Milky Way, and located roughly 27 million light years away in the Great Bear constellation.
The team made cross-spectrum observations with AKARI's Far-Infrared Surveyor (FIS), plotting the temperature of the galaxy's dust. Dust in galaxies is heated by nearby stars, and tends to be warmer in star-forming regions where there are more hot, young stars. Regions populated by older, sun-like stars tend to be relatively cool. In the image above, the cold dust is shown in blue, while the hotter dust is red.
M101 is known to have had a so-called "tidal" interaction with a companion galaxy, and observations show that gas is indeed falling onto the outer edge of the galaxy.
The galaxy is roughly twice the size of our own Milky Way, and located roughly 27 million light years away in the Great Bear constellation.
The team made cross-spectrum observations with AKARI's Far-Infrared Surveyor (FIS), plotting the temperature of the galaxy's dust. Dust in galaxies is heated by nearby stars, and tends to be warmer in star-forming regions where there are more hot, young stars. Regions populated by older, sun-like stars tend to be relatively cool. In the image above, the cold dust is shown in blue, while the hotter dust is red.
M101 is known to have had a so-called "tidal" interaction with a companion galaxy, and observations show that gas is indeed falling onto the outer edge of the galaxy.
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