Astronomy can also be sad. Recently, scientists saw the tiny dying galaxy IC 3418, at 54 million light-years from the earth. 
Photos from open sources They have witnessed a rare astronomical phenomenon – for the first time managed to make out in detail process of fading galaxies. And if we distract from sad thoughts about limbs of being, it should be recognized that researchers are very lucky. In the dying dwarf galaxy IC 3418 from the constellation Virgo for 200 million years no new stars appear. She is losing interstellar gas from which they originate and is doomed to slow fading. Extragalactic astronomy is very difficult art. I have to watch so far objects, it’s hard to understand what exactly is visible there. That’s why when famous astronomer Jeffrey Kenny, head of the department of astronomy Yale University, spoke about the results of observing his teams, everyone reacted to this with great interest. “We believe, that we are witnessing a turning point in the transformation of a rich interstellar gas galaxies into an irregular gas poor elliptical a galaxy that has exhausted its vitality, ”Kenny explained. – This one gas is needed for the formation of new stars. And without it, the formation stars ceases, only old stars remain. And the galaxy, in ultimately simply dying. “Astronomers classify galaxies by color. Healthy galaxies with many young stars – blue, and old and “sick” – red. But still never managed to detect a galaxy in transition. Then is at the moment when she loses her gas, and when in her star formation ceases. “Until now, it was unclear how this transformation is happening, “said Kenny, emphasizing the importance of discoveries. Galaxy Life IC 3418 from the galaxy cluster in Virgo constellation is coming to an end. A dying galaxy emits huge gas globules – small dark gas-dust nebulae, regular spherical shape. It is her flows of matter from which new stars are emerging. Streams of stars are also observed there. – these are orphans born not in the mother galaxy, but in intergalactic space. In IC 3418 itself, according to astronomers, new stars do not appear for more than 200 million years. “Of course, it’s gratifying to find a concrete example of one of the most important galaxy evolution processes, continued Jeffrey Kenny. – But we are with colleagues feel intergalactic forensic pathologists or resuscitation doctors at the bedside of a dying man patient. ”
Galaxies
