The discovery of weak, vast galaxies has the potential to reshape the understanding of the universe and theories of galaxy formation, according to researchers. Using the most accurate and detailed cosmological simulations available, an international team of researchers has come up with an exciting ** that may shed new light on our understanding of the universe: there are a large number of dark galaxies waiting to be discovered in our cosmic neighborhood.
Dark matter (red), gas (green), and stars (white) in a local galaxy cluster simulated by Hestia. The simulated Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies are near the center of the image, and the hyperdiffuse galaxies are circled. **salvador cardona-barrero
The study focuses on hyperdiffuse galaxies: dark galaxies with masses of up to one billion suns – about one-thousandth the mass of the Milky Way – distributed over an area about the size of the Milky Way. This makes them very faint and difficult to observe, so little is still known about them.
Researchers believe that the Local Group is a small cluster of galaxies that currently contains about 60 known galaxies, including our own Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxy. Although only two ultra-diffuse galaxies have been discovered in the Local Group so far, scientists believe that understanding the total number of ultra-diffuse galaxies in the Group is critical to our understanding of the universe.
So, how many galaxies are still lurking in our cosmic backyard?To find out, an international team of researchers conducted state-of-the-art simulation studies of our cosmic neighborhoods. Named after the ancient Greek goddess of the family, the Hestia simulation is currently the most accurate and detailed simulation of the Milky Way and its adjacent regions. Simulation**, there may be up to 12 ultra-diffuse galaxies waiting to be discovered in this group of galaxies. Based on the analysis of the characteristics of ultra-diffuse reflection galaxies in HESTIA simulations, the team believes that several of these galaxies can be directly observed through existing survey data, such as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
The discovery of these new galaxies could have a profound impact on our understanding of the formation and evolution of galaxies. Current models suggest that up to half of the low-mass galaxies in the universe may be extended and diffuse galaxies, most of which are unobservable by our current technological capabilities. Since the number of galaxies in the universe is a powerful model of various cosmology, the size of the superdiffuse group of galaxies in the local group can be used to rule out the possibility of some of these models.
The study, published in the Astrophysical Journal Newsletter, entitled:"An undiscovered ultra-diffuse reflection galaxy in the local group of galaxies"：
Compilation**: scitechdaily