Astronomers study various galaxy populations and their physical characteristics within large-scale structures to understand galaxy formation and the role of environments in their development.
One such object is the Spiderweb protocluster, located in the early Universe. Its light, which has traveled for over 10 billion years, allows scientists to observe a galaxy cluster in formation with over a hundred known galaxies.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered new galaxies within the Spiderweb protocluster, revealing ongoing star formation in these vast cosmic regions. The findings suggest that gravitational interactions in these dense areas have a smaller role in galaxy formation than previously thought.
The James Webb Space Telescope, which can observe infrared light, was used to study parts of the Spiderweb protocluster previously hidden by cosmic dust. Infrared light can pass through dust more easily than visible light, allowing scientists to assess how much dust obscures these regions.
A newly detected galaxy protocluster is surrounded by surprisingly hot gas(Opens
Jose M. Pérez-Martínez of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias and the Universidad de La Laguna in Spain said, “We are observing the build-up of one the largest structures in the Universe, a city of galaxies in construction. We know that most galaxies in local galaxy clusters (the biggest metropolises of the Universe) are old and inactive. In contrast, we are looking at these objects during adolescence in this work.”
“As this city grows in construction, its physical properties will also be affected. Now, Webb is giving us new insights into the build-up of such structures for the first time.”
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers studied hydrogen gas to uncover new, heavily obscured galaxies within the Spiderweb protocluster in just 3.5 hours of observation. They found more galaxies than expected and discovered that previously known galaxies, similar to the Milky Way, were less obscured and dusty than originally believed.
Astronomers discovered galaxy shipyard 11 billion light-years from Earth
Helmut Dannerbauer of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias in Spain said, “This can be explained by the fact that the growth of these typical galaxies is not triggered primarily by galaxy interactions or mergers that induce star-formation. We now figure this can be explained by star formation fueled by gas accumulating at different locations across the object’s large-scale structure.”
Journal References:
- Rhythm Shimakawa, J. M. Pérez-Martínez, Helmut Dannerbauer et al. JWST/NIRCam Narrowband Survey of Paβ Emitters in the Spiderweb Protocluster at z = 2.16. The Astrophysical Journal. DOI 10.3847/1538-4357/ad8155
- Jose Manuel Pérez-Martínez, Helmut Dannerbauer, Yusei Koyama et al. JWST/NIRCam Paβ Narrowband Imaging Reveals Ordinary Dust Extinction for Hα Emitters within the Spiderweb Protocluster at z = 2.16. The Astrophysical Journal. DOI 10.3847/1538-4357/ad8156