Green Pea Galaxy May Explain A Mystery Of The Universe

There are many mysteries about the universe around us and what exactly causes some of the phenomena that scientists have been studying for decades. One of those mysteries is why exactly the universe was very hot and dense early in its formation, then cooled and spread out, only to become heated and filled with ionized hydrogen again a billion years later.

The reason for that re-ionization has been a topic of debate in scientific circles. Scientists now believe that they may have found a reason for that re-ionization. One long running theory was that galaxies were somehow responsible for this re-ionization of the universe and an astronomer from the US called Trinh Thuan has now largely validated that old hypothesis.

Thuan and colleagues have discovered a compact dwarf galaxy that is emitting a large number of ionizing photons in the intergalactic medium. The team believes that particles of this sort emitted from galaxies are the reason that the universe reionized a billion years after it formed.

The dwarf galaxy dubbed the green pea galaxy was discovered using the Hubble Space Telescope's UV radiation detecting capabilities. The official name for the galaxy is J0925+1403 and it is located 3 billion light-years from Earth. Scientists say that the galaxy is ejecting ionizing photos at a rate of 8% ejection, an intensity never before observed.

SOURCE: Eurekalert