Galaxy Halos Recycle Interstellar Gas Into Baby Stars | Stars & Galaxies | Star Formation & Astronomy
The color and shape of a galaxy is largely controlled by gas flowing through an extended halo around it as depicted in this NASA illustration. Modern simulations of galaxy formation cannot explain the observed properties of galaxies without modeling the complex accretion and "feedback" processes by which galaxies acquire gas and later expel it after chemical processing by stars.
CREDIT: NASA; ESA; A. Feild, STScI
How a galaxy evolves from an active star-forming spiral into a passive collection of stars has perplexed astronomers, but a series of new studies may have found the answer inside vast clouds of galactic gas.
Ejected by dying stars, halos of galactic gas can help fuel the creation of new stellar objects, researchers said. In the new research, one study found that the gas halos dominate the space around spiral galaxies but are significantly smaller around galaxies with little or no star formation. The halos are larger, too, and more metal-rich than anticipated, scientists found. [...]
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Full article at space.com
Duh. And cool! :)
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