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Astronomers Discover 'Cosmic Fossil' Galaxy That Remained 'Frozen in Time' for Billions of Years in Space

KiDS J0842+0059, with a mass around 100 billion times that of the Sun, has remained frozen in time for centuries.

PUBLISHED 6 DAYS AGO

Supernova explosion in the center of the galaxy, 'Elements of this image furnished by NASA.' (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | murat4art)

Fossils are a great way to peer into history, as they are in some way a 'time capsule,' carrying reflections of a time that has passed. Astronomers have found something similar in space in the form of galaxy KiDS J0842+0059, according to Space. Galaxy KiDS J0842+0059 appears to be a 'cosmic fossil' that has somewhat remained 'frozen in time' for many centuries. According to several readings, it has not been impacted by any collisions or mergers, making it an ideal object to investigate cosmic evolution. The galaxy can showcase how things were in the past in the universe, and comparing it with the present bodies could shed light on the transformations that have taken place. Findings regarding this galaxy have been published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Spiral galaxy - stock photo (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Science Photo Library - MARK GARLICK)

Discovery of 'KiDS J0842+0059'

KiDS J0842+0059 was discovered in 2018 by KiDS (Kilo Degree Survey), spotted around three billion light years away from Earth. Initial images of the galaxy were captured by the Very Large Telescope Survey Telescope (VST). These images allowed the astronomers to learn the size and mass of the galaxy. These measurements were made more precise by readings from the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the X-Shooter instrument present inside it.

Examination of KiDS J0842+0059 (Image Source: Monthly Notice of the Royal Astronomical Society)

The calculations showcased that KiDS J0842+0059 exhibited a stellar mass that is 100 billion times greater than that of the Sun. Such a mass is exhibited by certain other galaxies as well, but KiDS J0842+0059 stands out, as its mass is more compact. The measurements also implied that the galaxy had not experienced much star formation throughout its life. These findings indicated that it was a 'cosmic fossil' which had remained unchanged for billions of years.

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Possible Learnings

Researchers believe that this particular 'cosmic fossil' will aid astronomers in knowing how the first galaxies in the universe were formed. It could give them an idea about the environmental conditions needed for KiDS J0842+0059 to flourish. Experts associated with the study think that the nuclei of such galaxies can help scientists reconstruct the nuclei of many massive galaxies like the Milky Way, that has undergone plenty of transformations. The presence of such a galaxy also confirms that these bodies are capable of forming rapidly and staying compact for years with no massive changes.

Similarities With Other 'Cosmic Fossil'

For the examination, researchers considered the images captured through the adaptive optics system of the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). This system provided ten times more detailed pictures than KiDS (Kilo Degree Survey). These images also helped experts determine that the KiDS J0842+0059 had remained unchanged for seven billion years. It also indicated that the KiDS J0842+0059 galaxy was similar in shape to NGC 1277 and other compact galaxies found in the early stages of the universe. NGC 1277 is also a fossil galaxy, which is around 240 million light-years away from Earth and has already been discovered. It is the first time a fossil galaxy that is so far away has been detected by astronomers. Researchers are hopeful that more such findings are on the way with advanced telescopes and equipment.