Scientists observed a galaxy that has remained almost unchanged for 7 billion years. Named KiDS J0842+0059, this fossil galaxy is one of the rare structures shedding light on the early universe.
Italian researchers discovered this galaxy located 3 billion light-years away, which has stayed nearly the same for 7 billion years. Known as a "fossil galaxy" in astronomy, KiDS J0842+0059 is a rare example.
Fossil galaxies are celestial bodies that formed stars rapidly in the early universe but remained isolated without merging with other galaxies, providing key insights into cosmic formation.
Formation occurs in two stages: first, rapid star formation creating a dense, compact galaxy; second, growth through mergers with nearby galaxies. Fossil galaxies like KiDS J0842+0059 largely skip this second phase.
Researchers found that 99.5% of its stars formed very early on, making it a star-rich but quiet galaxy with little new star formation. Due to its density, finding multi-planet systems similar to ours there may be difficult.
Dr. Chiara Spiniello, a lead researcher, estimates such galaxies exist at a rate of about one in a million. Initial traces of KiDS J0842+0059 were found in 2018 with Chile's VLT Telescope, with confirmation via high-resolution observations from the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona.
The European Space Agency's Euclid telescope, launched in 2023, will help gather data on dark matter and energy while making fossil galaxies easier to detect, potentially revealing many more such ancient galaxies.
Professor Michele Cappellari of Oxford University calls these galaxies "invaluable resources" for understanding the universe's earliest epochs.
