The distant universe is full of puzzling objects , and some of the most curious are the Lyman - Alpha Blobs ( LABs ) , orotund clouds of hydrogen that glow brilliantly in UV . They are some of the great individual physical object known , and scientists finally know what ’s name them shine .
An international squad of astronomers has discovered two galaxies within one of the largest LABs , known as LAB-1 . These two extragalactic nebula are undergo an intense phase of star formation and the powerful light of the raw stars is what is lightening up the smother petrol .
“ reckon of a street lamp on a foggy dark – you see the diffuse glow because light is scattering off the bantam water system droplets , ” lead generator Jim Geach , from the University of Hertfordshire , pronounce in astatement . “ A similar thing is happening here , except the streetlight is an intensely genius - form extragalactic nebula and the fogginess is a huge cloud of intergalactic gaseous state . The galaxies are illuminating their surroundings . ”
LAB-1 , discover in 2000 , was the first such blob ever discovered and has fascinated astronomer ever since . It is locate 11.5 billion light - years from Earth and it is 300,000 unaccented - years across , about three times the size of the Milky Way .
optic image of LAB-1 the first Lyman - alpha blob ever give away . ESO / M. Hayes
These blobs are emitting their light at a special ultraviolet radiation wavelength known as Lyman alpha , but since they are so far away and the universe of discourse is expanding , the light source becomes detectable at long wavelengths . For this cause , the scientist used theAtacama Large Millimeter / submillimeter Array(ALMA ) in Chile to investigate this target .
The paper , which is availableonlineand will be bring out in the Astrophysical Journal , apply the data from ALMA and combines it with sophisticated simulations to attest that the intense ultraviolet light radiotherapy make by newborn stars is the power lighting LAB-1 .
“ What ’s exciting about these blobs is that we are getting a rare glimpse of what ’s chance around these young , raise galaxies . For a long meter the bloodline of the extended Lyman - alpha light has been controversial , ” said Geach .
“ But with the combining of Modern reflection and cutting - edge simulations , we retrieve we have solved a 15 - year - former enigma : Lyman - alpha Blob-1 is the site of formation of a massive elliptical galaxy that will one day be the essence of a giant cluster . We are seeing a snapshot of the assembly of that galaxy 11.5 billion years ago . ”
