by A galactic archaeology project has revealed the Milky Way’s neighboring galaxy, Andromeda, has a violent and dramatic history.
An international team of astrophysicists looked at the chemical compositions of stars in Andromeda, which is the closest large galaxy to our own.
The goal was to reconstruct its past.
Sure enough, after examining the abundance of elements in Andromeda and considering the fact this galaxy possesses both planetary nebulas — gas and dust blown away from dying low-mass stars — and red giant stars, the researchers concluded that it experienced dramatic and forceful formation.
In fact, the team thinks the creation of the Andromeda galaxy was more turbulent than the origins of the Milky Way.
They theorize that Andromeda initially experienced a burst of intense star formation that created the galaxy's foundation, with a secondary period of star birth happening between 2 billion and 4.5 billion years ago.
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An international team of astrophysicists looked at the chemical compositions of stars in Andromeda, which is the closest large galaxy to our own.
The goal was to reconstruct its past.
Sure enough, after examining the abundance of elements in Andromeda and considering the fact this galaxy possesses both planetary nebulas — gas and dust blown away from dying low-mass stars — and red giant stars, the researchers concluded that it experienced dramatic and forceful formation.
In fact, the team thinks the creation of the Andromeda galaxy was more turbulent than the origins of the Milky Way.
They theorize that Andromeda initially experienced a burst of intense star formation that created the galaxy's foundation, with a secondary period of star birth happening between 2 billion and 4.5 billion years ago.
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