Tag: satellite galaxies
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Andromeda’s Quiet Quenching: How its Satellites Fade Before Infall
Overview: A New Twist on Galaxy Growth For decades, astronomers have tracked how giant galaxies grow by consuming smaller companions. The Milky Way’s ongoing serenade with the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds—evidenced by the Magellanic Stream of gas trailing behind—has long served as a cornerstone example. But recent observations of our neighboring Andromeda Galaxy (M31)…
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Andromeda Galaxy Quenches Its Satellite Galaxies Long Before They Fall In
Overview: A New Twist in Galaxy Growth Astronomers have uncovered evidence that the Andromeda Galaxy, our nearest spiral neighbor, can suppress star formation in its satellite galaxies long before they are captured in a full merger. This quenching process, which halts the birth of new stars, helps explain why some dwarf companions around large spirals…