2023-12-25 08:38:08
Title: Astrophysicists Discover Why Spiral Galaxies are Rare in Supergalactic Plane
By: [Your Name]
Astrophysicists have made a groundbreaking discovery in understanding why spiral galaxies like our Milky Way are rare in the supergalactic plane, a dense region of our local universe.
The supergalactic plane is a vast, flattened structure spanning nearly a billion light-years, in which our Milky Way galaxy is located. This structure is filled with bright elliptical galaxies, but bright disc galaxies with spiral arms are notably scarce.
A team led by the University of Durham in England and the University of Helsinki in Finland found that different distributions of elliptical and disc galaxies occur naturally due to the contrasting environments found inside and outside the supergalactic plane.
According to the research, the dense galaxy clusters within the supergalactic plane lead to interactions and mergers between galaxies, turning spiral galaxies into elliptical galaxies. In contrast, galaxies found outside the plane can evolve in relative isolation, allowing them to maintain their spiral structure.
Using the SIBELIUS supercomputer simulation, which covers the evolution of the universe for 13.8 billion years, the team was able to accurately reproduce the observed structures in the local universe. This includes the distribution of galaxies in the supergalactic plane.
Co-author of the study, Professor Carlos Frank noted that the distribution of galaxies in the supergalactic plane is rare but not entirely anomalous. The simulation also supported the standard model of the universe, which is based on the idea that most of its mass is cold dark matter.
This discovery sheds light on the mechanisms behind the distribution of galaxies in the supergalactic plane and provides a deeper understanding of galaxy formation and evolution in our local universe.
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