Astronomers have found a powerful stream of gas that was hidden from observation

According to the authors of the study, the cold flow of intergalactic atomic carbon dioxide is so

massive, which could fuel the formation of galaxiesover 500 million years. The data obtained confirm the theoretical cosmological models, and also shed light on the origin of the processes and materials that are responsible for the formation of galaxies and stars.

Researchers led by Dr. BjornAmonts, an Associate Scientist at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, used the Atakama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) to map the atomic carbon gas surrounding galaxy 4C 41.17.

4C41.17 is a large radio galaxy from the early universe. This means that the researchers had to maximize the sensitivity of the radio telescope to surface brightness using the most compact, low-resolution ALMA configuration.

The emission of carbon atoms in the flow is highlighted in blue. Photo: Emonts (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

According to the astronomers who published the resultsresearch in the journal Science, it is this low-resolution configuration that is likely to have helped to detect the cold molecular flow that was hidden and went unnoticed in previous studies. The new observations have revealed a narrow stream of cold gas extending at least 100 kiloparsecs (~326,000 light-years) out of the galaxy and into intergalactic space. It is several times larger than the galaxy it appears to be feeding.

Read more:

Biologists discover how cancer cells elude the immune system

The key theory of quantum physics has finally been proven. Main

Named products that protect the brain from dementia, and when to use them

On the cover: rings around the galaxy
Credit: Spitzer Space Telescope - Caltech