Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Infinity Galaxy
Pair of colliding ring galaxies From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
The Infinity Galaxy (∞ Galaxy) is an interacting galaxy pair observed by James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) as part of COSMOS-Web Survey. The galaxy is named due to its distinctive shape which resembles the Infinity Symbol (∞). The 2025 discovery is credited to astronomers Pieter van Dokkum of Yale University and Gabriel Brammer of the University of Copenhagen. This discovery provides significant insights into galactic mergers and the formation of supermassive black holes, particularly through the direct collapse mechanism.[2][3]
_(01JZJK8927VB7900WF3SAGSTFH).png)
The redshift of the Infinity Galaxy was measured to be z=1.14 (8.3 billion light-years from Earth) by fitting emission lines.[4]
Remove ads
Discovery
The Infinity Galaxy was identified in 2025 through archival data from JWST's COSMOS-Web survey,[5] a large-scale program designed to map the structure of the early universe. The galaxy's unique morphology was first noted in infrared images captured by JWST's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), with light represented at 0.9 microns (blue), 1.15 and 1.5 microns (green), and 2.0 microns (red). Archival observations of the COSMOS-Web field from the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO) and the Very Large Array (VLA) and new Keck/LRIS spectra confirmed the presence of an active supermassive black hole between the two nuclei.[1][6]
Remove ads
Structure and morphology
The Infinity Galaxy is characterized by two compact, red nuclei, each surrounded by a ring of stars and gas, forming a figure-eight (8) or infinity-symbol (∞) shape, from the two ring galaxies. This structure is attributed to a head-on collision of two disk galaxies, which compressed gas clouds and triggered tidal forces, creating the observed rings. The collision is estimated to have occurred approximately 50 million years ago, based on the relative velocities of the galactic remnants.[7]
A vast expanse of ionized hydrogen gas, glowing green in JWST images, lies between the two nuclei, hosting a supermassive black hole. This central black hole, with a mass of approximately 1 million solar masses, is notable for its location outside the galactic nuclei, a rare configuration in galactic mergers.[5][8]
Remove ads
Black holes
The Infinity Galaxy hosts three active supermassive black holes:
- A central black hole, located between the two nuclei within the ionized gas, with a mass of ~1 million solar masses.[9]
- Two additional black holes, one in each nucleus, indicative of the pre-merger galaxies' central black holes. Both black holes are active galactic nuclei.[9]
The central black hole is of particular interest, as its formation aligns with the direct collapse model, where a massive gas cloud collapses directly into a black hole without forming stars. This is supported by spectroscopic data from JWST, showing the black hole's velocity matches the surrounding gas (within 50 km/s or 30 miles per second). This alignment suggests the black hole formed in situ during the merger, potentially providing the first direct evidence of direct collapse in the early universe.[7]
The central black hole region is a in starburst region and the jets of one of the outer Active Galactic Nuclei is influencing the region.[2]
Significance
The Infinity Galaxy is a critical case study for several reasons:[10]
- Direct Collapse Evidence: The central black hole's formation supports the direct collapse model, offering insights into how supermassive black holes formed in the early universe, a phenomenon frequently observed by JWST but poorly explained by traditional "light seed" models.
- Galactic Mergers: The galaxy's structure provides a snapshot of merger dynamics, illustrating how collisions shape stellar and gaseous distributions.
- Multi-Black Hole System: The presence of three active supermassive black holes in a single system is rare and offers a natural laboratory for studying black hole interactions.[7][11]
Remove ads
Future research
Ongoing analysis of JWST's COSMOS-Web data may reveal additional galaxies with similar characteristics, further testing the direct collapse model. Future observations could refine the galaxy's redshift, distance, and detailed composition, enhancing our understanding of its role in cosmic evolution.[5]
See also
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads