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Scientists have discovered an " almost inconspicuous " nanus galaxy that can not be explained by our current reason of the existence . The cryptically timid object , which has put off detection for eld , is so dim that research worker have n’t even been able-bodied to pin down exactly where it is .
The newfound galaxy , named Nube ( or " cloud " in Spanish ) , was described in a report published Jan. 9 in the journalAstronomy & Astrophysics . Nube is extremely diffuse , which means that its stars are very spread out and , as a result , the galaxy emits just any light . It is around 10 clock time fainter than most other know dwarf coltsfoot and is more than 10 time wider than it should be considering the routine of genius it has .
The Nube dwarf galaxy (center) has an unusually low concentration of stars that does not fit with our understanding of the universe.
" With our present knowledge we do not understand how a galaxy with such extreme characteristics can exist , " survey lead authorMireia Montes , an astrophysicist at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands , read in astatement .
The researchers discovered Nube when they reanalyzed data gather by theSloanDigital Sky Survey — one of the great and most detailed astronomical database of the night sky — and spotted a small repugnance that had gone unnoticed for years . After catching the anomaly , the squad took radical - deep multicolor figure of speech of the outlying co-ordinate using the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia and the Gran Telescopio Canarias in La Palma , Spain .
But even then , Nube is so timid that the team can not accurately immobilise down its accurate length from our own extragalactic nebula . The researcher surmise that it is around 300 million sluttish - days from theMilky Way , and around a third of the size across . But further reflection are require to reassert this .
Nube was barely noticeable in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) but was more visible using other telescopes.
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The general rule of galaxy organization is that a galaxy ’s compactness is highest at the core and decreases further out . But the engrossment of stars in Nube " varies very little throughout the objective , which is why it is so faint , " Montes said .
The researchers ca n’t explicate how the galaxy is kept together when it has so little mass at its center , which would normally exert thegravityneeded to keep the relaxation of the genius in place .
Normally , astronomers mean such gravitational anomalies are caused bydark matter — a mysterious eccentric of issue with unknown pedigree that does not react with light source and supposedlymakes up around 27 % of the universe of discourse ’s lot . However , based on our current understanding of dark matter , there should not be enough of it to explain Nube ’s strange property .
" One possibleness which is attractive , is that the strange properties of Nube are prove us that the atom which make up dark matter have an passing small mickle , " work conscientious objector - authorIgnacio Trujillo , an astrophysicist at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands , said in the program line . If this were true , dark thing would be a " monstrance of the properties of quantum physics , but on a galactic scale , " he added .
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" If this guess is confirmed , it would be one of the most beautiful demonstrations of nature , unifying the world of the smallest with that of the bombastic , " Trujillo added . However , this is just one possible hypothesis .
Whatever the grounds of Nube ’s diffuse nature , the research worker are now on the hunt for likewise faint galaxies that could help unravel the whodunit .
" It is possible that with this galaxy , and standardized ones which we might find , we can find additional cue which will open up a fresh window on the reason of the cosmos , " Montes said .
