# video | Astrophysicists have discovered a galactic wind in a distant galaxy

Researchers Got Direct Evidence of Rolegalactic winds in gas emissions from galaxies. The results were obtained thanks to the work of the University of California research team led by Rhodes College astronomer David Rupke. Dr. Rupke and his colleagues discovered an ionized flux spanning 261 thousand per 326 thousand square light-years from the galaxy designated as SDSS J211824.06 + 001729.4. During the study, astronomers analyzed data obtained with the Keck Cosmic Web Imager, the NASA / ESA Hubble Space Telescope, and the ALMA Observatory radio telescopes in Chile. The wind, which was discovered by researchers, was called Makani.

This is how gas flows discovered by scientists look like. One of them was called Makani.

What is a galactic wind?

According to scientists, galactic winds controlthe formation of galaxies and stars in the universe. By galactic winds, researchers mean stellar gas flows that travel at a speed of at least 800 km per second. Last year, scientists were able to detect ancient winds at a distance of 12 billion light-years from our planet, which originate from the Big Bang. For the first time, scientists saw galactic winds thanks to the work of radio telescopes at the ALMA Observatory in Chile. To discuss what other discoveries astronomers expect can be with the participants of our Telegram chat.

The data obtained allowed researchersto distinguish one fast gas stream that escaped from the galaxy several million years ago from another gas stream that also left the galaxy hundreds of millions of years ago, but which has since slowed down significantly. The previous stream extended long distances from the galaxy, while the fast, recent stream did not manage to do this, the researchers write in their work, which was published in the journal Nature.

Volumetric rendering of Makani's ionized gas wind in a galaxy

Galactic wind forms stars and galaxies

Thanks to the Hubble Space TelescopeScientists obtained images of stars near the galaxy SDSS J211824.06 + 001729.4, which show that this is a huge compact galaxy, which arose as a result of the merger of two once separate galaxies. And thanks to the radio telescopes of the ALMA observatory, the researchers found that the stream contains molecules as well as atoms. In general, the obtained data sets indicated to astrophysicists that with a mixed population of old, medium and young stars, the galaxy may also contain a supermassive black hole that is hidden by dust. This means that the properties and time frames of the Makani galactic wind correspond to previously compiled theoretical models of galactic winds.

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Researchers note that in terms of howsize and speed, both streams correspond to the creation as a result of past bursts, and are also consistent with theoretical models. The hourglass shape of the Makani nebula closely resembles similar galactic winds in other galaxies, but the Makani wind is much larger than in other observed galaxies. This means that today astrophysicists can confirm that winds actually move gas from the galaxy to the near-galactic regions around it, and also absorb more gas from the environment. Leaving the galaxy, gas moves at very high speeds, thousands of kilometers per second.