14:58 03 December 2014

St Albans astronomer Dr Jim Geach has been studying the evolution of galaxies

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The NASA Hubble space telescope has helped a St Albans astronomer uncover new insights into the processes that have helped shape galaxies.

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An international team of astronomers, including local researcher Dr Jim Geach from the University of Hertfordshire, has been unlocking mysteries of the universe including how all the galaxies we see around us came to be.

Before their study, it was assumed that stars alone could not drive out gas to the velocities the team observed, and that something more powerful like a black hole would be needed.

The astronomers have now challenged that belief; showing that if a galaxy is compact enough and forming stars at a high rate, it will produce the velocity required without needing a central black hole.

Dr Geach, co-author of the paper led by Paul Sell, Texas Tech University in Lubbock, said: We have discovered a remarkable class of galaxy that compared to the Milky Way is extremely compact and it has recently been forming stars hundreds of times faster.

Continued here:

St Albans astronomer investigates mysteries of universe using Hubble telescope