Scientists have discovered several high-speed gas clouds in the M83 galaxy, the origin of which remains unclear. Perhaps they are being “ejected” by a supermassive black hole, or perhaps they are evidence of streams of matter entering the system from outside.
Gas clouds in the galaxy M83
Scientists from the US and Japan recently used ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) to study the galaxy M83. This star system, which is not so far away from us, is also known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy M83.
Scientists were interested in the movement of gas and stars within it. The usual process for all large star systems is the formation of second stars from the first in huge, fairly stable regions known as stellar nurseries. However, scientists have discovered something quite unusual in M83 — ten gas clouds moving at speeds far exceeding those typical for this star system.
Scientists cannot explain their origin. There are two possible explanations: they are the result of an influx of matter into M83 from outside, or they were accelerated by a supermassive black hole. Other explanations, such as supernova explosions, are rejected by scientists.
Star formation
The M83 galaxy is very similar to the Milky Way. However, star formation processes within it are occurring so rapidly that in just 1 billion years, the gas that serves as the material for their formation may be depleted. And then the formation of not only new stars, but also planets may come to the end.
That is why the discovery of superfast clouds has attracted such interest from scientists. It is most likely that they originate from somewhere outside our Solar System. This means that there is more time left before M83 begins to age rapidly than previously thought, and this has implications for our overall understanding of galaxy evolution.
According to phys.org
