Mysterious light detected between galaxies

NASA has detected an astonishing amount of infrared light in the dark space between galaxies. Astronomers have yet to agree on the origin of this strange light source.

NASA researchers say the strange light source radiates over a wide area, shining as brightly as all the known galaxies in the universe combined. They believe it may originate from orphan stars, thrown out of galaxies.

According to NASA, the findings redefine what scientists think a galaxy is. Galaxies may not possess a defined set of stars, but instead stretch out over vast distances, forming a vast, interconnected sea of ​​stars.

"We think that stars are being thrown into space during galactic collisions. Although we have seen stars being ejected from galaxies in tidal streams, our new measurements suggest that this process is common," explained Michael Zemcov, lead author of the new study and an astronomer at the California Institute of Technology and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Using probe rockets, which are smaller than those that launch satellites into space and ideal for short-term experiments, NASA's CIBER project has captured wide-field images of the cosmic infrared background at two infrared wavelengths shorter than had ever been observed before.

Analysis of the brightness and blue color of the light in the images supports the idea that it comes from stars that have “fallen” out of galaxies. The light source recorded is so abundant that NASA experts believe that there are as many stars outside the galaxies as there are inside them.

However, other researchers disagree with the above conclusion and believe that the mysterious light source may originate from intact galaxies far away.

Professor Steve Earles, an astronomer at Cardiff University (UK), expressed caution about the discovery of his American colleagues. According to him, if there are so many stars outside the galaxies, we can expect to find more similar examples among galaxies closer to ours. NASA's research still needs more solid evidence.

(According to Daily Mail)