Astronomers produce first high-resolution map of giant galactic explosion

In a groundbreaking achievement, a team of international researchers have produced the first high-resolution map of a massive explosion in a nearby galaxy. The findings provide crucial insights into how chemical elements are dispersed across the cosmos.

The galaxy in question is NGC 4383, which lies in the nearby Virgo cluster. The map, which showcases an extensive gas outflow spanning a distance that light would take 20,000 years to traverse, was developed from the MAUVE survey's data. The gas is quite rich in heavy elements like oxygen, nitrogen, and sulphur and its mass is equivalent to over 50 million Suns.

According to the researchers, the gas is flowing from NGC 4383's core at a staggering rate, hurtling from the galaxy at average speeds over 200 km/s.

The outflow was the result of powerful stellar explosions in the central regions of the galaxy that could eject enormous amounts of hydrogen and heavier elements, said lead author Dr Adam Watts, from The University of Western Australia node at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR).

Gas outflows play a crucial role in controlling the rate and duration of star formation in galaxies. The explosions result in the ejection of gas, which pollutes the space between stars within a galaxy and beyond. This gas can continue to drift in the intergalactic medium indefinitely.

The survey used the MUSE Integral Field Spectrograph on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT), located in northern Chile.

"We designed MAUVE to investigate how physical processes such as gas outflows help stop star formation in galaxies. NGC 4383 was our first target, as we suspected something very interesting was happening, but the data exceeded all our expectations. We hope that in the future, MAUVE observations reveal the importance of gas outflows in the local Universe with exquisite detail," said ICRAR researcher Professor Barbara Catinella.

More details can be found here.