A group of astronomers has made a surprising discovery that challenges previous studies. They found that the total mass of stars in a galaxy is not a reliable predictor of the galaxy’s abundance of heavier elements. Instead, they found that the gravitational potential of a galaxy is a much better predictor. These findings have been published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
When studying galaxies, one of the key factors is the “metallicity” of the galaxy. This refers to the abundance of heavier elements in the galaxy, which are produced long after the Big Bang and are an indication of stellar activity. Metallicity is defined as the mass fraction of the metals divided by the mass of the star, nebula, or galaxy. In this study, the researchers used data from over 3,000 nearby star-forming galaxies to establish scaling relations between various galactic parameters to predict the gas-phase metallicity of the galaxy.
2024-02-08 02:00:04
Original from phys.org