NASA’s Hubble Uncovers Case of Missing Oxygen in Nearby Dwarf Galaxies

Executive Briefing

According to reporting by NASA Space & Missions, NASA’s Hubble studied 37 nearby dwarf galaxies and found that much of the oxygen they expected to see is missing.

Detailed Factual Report

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope just revealed a mystery in our cosmic neighborhood. In a paper published Monday in The Astrophysical Journal, researchers using Hubble studied 37 nearby dwarf galaxies — small galaxies containing a few thousand to hundreds of millions of stars — and found that much of the oxygen they expected to see is missing.

Simulations predict that significantly more oxygen, a tracer of a wider set of heavy elements, should reside in these galaxies. So where did it go?

“Oxygen is produced by stars, which are inside of galaxies. We know that the oxygen had to be inside of the galaxies at some point in the past, so the oxygen must have been ejected,” said co-investigator Grace Telford, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Utah. “And to do that, you need energy from massive stars and supernova explosions to drive material out of the host galaxies and into the space between galaxies.”

Galactic winds unleashed by supernovae are apparently more effective at removing oxygen from low-mass galaxies than current models predict, according to the new study. The findings show that dwarf galaxies can hold onto only a small fraction of the oxygen made by stars.

Verified Data Points & Key Takeaways

Geographic Scope & Community Impact

Recommended Action & Safety Guidelines

Source & Verification Provenance

Information in this article was compiled directly from records provided by NASA Space & Missions. Access the primary source document at: https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasas-hubble-uncovers-case-of-missing-oxygen-in-nearby-dwarf-galaxies/. Reporting and editorial review conducted by the USA NOW News Desk.