Friday 31 January 2025
A team of astronomers has made a fascinating discovery about the way stars form in galaxies. By studying the ultraviolet light emitted by young stars, they have found that these stars are not randomly distributed across their host galaxy, but instead are arranged in a hierarchical structure.
The researchers used data from the AstroSat-UVIT telescope to observe four galaxies: NGC 1566, NGC 5194, NGC 5457, and NGC 7793. They identified young star-forming clumps (SFCs) within these galaxies and created a map of their distribution. By analyzing this map, they found that the SFCs are arranged in a hierarchical structure, with smaller clumps forming within larger ones.
The team also discovered that the size of the SFCs is not affected by their distance from the galaxy’s center or by the strength of the local ultraviolet background radiation. This suggests that star formation is a complex process that involves multiple factors, and that the hierarchical structure of the SFCs may be an important aspect of this process.
One of the most interesting findings of the study is the variation in the size of the SFCs between different galaxies. The team found that the SFCs in NGC 1566 are smaller than those in NGC 5194, while the SFCs in NGC 5457 are larger than those in NGC 7793. This suggests that star formation may be influenced by factors such as galaxy size and shape, as well as the presence of other stars or gas.
The study also sheds light on the process of hierarchical star formation, which is thought to play an important role in shaping the structure of galaxies. By studying the SFCs, the researchers were able to gain insights into how this process works and what factors influence it.
Overall, the study provides a new perspective on the way stars form in galaxies and highlights the importance of considering the hierarchical structure of star-forming regions. The findings have implications for our understanding of galaxy evolution and could potentially be used to improve models of star formation.
The research has been published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics and is available online.
Cite this article: “Stars Form in Hierarchical Structure Within Galaxies”, The Science Archive, 2025.
Star Formation, Galaxy Evolution, Hierarchical Structure, Ultraviolet Light, Young Stars, Astrosat-Uvit Telescope, Star-Forming Clumps, Galaxy Size, Shape, Star Formation Process
