The Bullet Cluster – A Smoking Gun for Dark Matter!
A classic paper on dark matter is brought to ‘light’ in this bite, discussing a discovery that provides one of the best evidences we have for non-baryonic matter in the universe.
“Did I tell you about the time I was hit by a galaxy?”
“…and other lesson’s I learned when I was a spiral galaxy” — Our ideas of what happens to galaxies when they crash into each other comes mostly from simulations. But what if those results aren’t as trustworthy as we think? By watching a galaxy merger in the highest detail we can, we see that collisions may not be as destructive as we thought, and you just might survive a head-long crash into another galaxy.
Major mergers do not matter (much)
Major mergers (collisions between two galaxies of similar size) are some of the most dramatic cosmic events. But in the grand scheme of things, how important are they, really?
Mosaic galaxies – from where do galaxies get their stars?
Giant galaxies are built out of a patchwork of many smaller galaxies, drawn together by gravity. But the stars in these precursor galaxies are disimilar. How does this process of galactic assembly affect what we can infer about star formation?
How black hole and merger can kill a galaxy
Magnificent though they are, galaxies are in constant risk of death from their own members and the environment. Today, we look at a murder act staged by black holes and mergers.
Dinnertime for an Active Galaxy
A star being swallowed by a black hole, and with an unusual host galaxy.