Breaking Intergalactic News: FAST Telescope Spots Hidden Galaxies!
China’s Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST)—aka the world’s largest ‘cosmic ear’—has uncovered a treasure trove of gas-rich galaxies billions of light-years away! 🚀 This mind-blowing discovery, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, could rewrite what we know about star formation and galactic evolution.
Led by astronomer Xi Hongwei and an international team from Australia, the U.S., and Russia, the study detected six distant galaxies packed with atomic hydrogen—the fuel for star birth. ‘These galaxies hold more gas than most we’ve seen before,’ said Xi. Think of it like finding untouched cosmic gas stations ⛽️… but for stars!
‘FAST’s sensitivity is game-changing,’ said researcher Peng Bo. ‘We’ve already spotted 100+ new galaxies—we’re aiming for 1,000!’
Why does this matter? Neutral hydrogen = star-making juice 💫. But until now, spotting it in distant galaxies was like trying to hear a whisper at a rock concert. FAST’s Ultra-Deep Survey cuts through the noise, letting scientists ‘see’ galaxies as they were 5 billion years ago. (That’s older than TikTok, Instagram, and Earth’s continents!) 🌍🔭
What’s Next?
With more galaxies on FAST’s radar, astronomers are hyped to decode how galaxies evolve. Spoiler: This could help explain how our Milky Way got its bling. 💎 Stay tuned for more intergalactic tea!
