A team of astronomers has made a groundbreaking discovery using data from the Herschel Space Observatory, suggesting that a population of previously unknown galaxies may exist in the distant universe. The research, led by astrophysicist Chris Pearson and physicist Thomas Varnish, analyzed observations of the universe’s far-infrared light to create an image five times deeper than any previous single observation.
The team used a technique called stacking 141 images on top of each other to capture the faintest galaxies in the universe. However, this approach revealed so many galaxies that individual objects began to merge and become indistinguishable from each other. To overcome this challenge, the researchers employed statistical techniques to model the underlying distribution of galaxies.
According to Pearson, “This work has pushed the science with Herschel to its absolute limit, probing far below what we can normally discernibly see.” The team found possible evidence of a completely new population of faint galaxies that could account for the missing sources of energy emission in the infrared spectrum.
If confirmed, this discovery would have significant implications for our understanding of galaxy numbers and evolution. Further studies are needed to confirm the existence of these “hidden” galaxies, with potential observations using telescopes operating at multiple wavelengths. The proposed Probe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA) could potentially provide further insights into this phenomenon.
The research has been published in two papers by Pearson and Varnish, which offer a detailed analysis of the findings and their implications for our understanding of the universe.
Source: https://www.newsweek.com/hidden-galaxies-deep-universe-may-break-current-models-2057884