Much like how wind plays a key role in life on Earth by sweeping seeds, pollen and more from one place to another, galactic winds – high-powered streams of charged particles and gases – can change the chemical make-up of the host galaxies they form in, simply by blowing in a specific direction.
Tag: galactic evolution

Old and new stars paint very different pictures of the Triangulum Galaxy
Scientists have discovered something unexpected about the Triangulum galaxy: In this satellite galaxy, a close companion of the much larger Andromeda galaxy, old and new stars occur in separate parts of the its structure, something not seen in galaxies like our own and so far not reporter for other satellite galaxies.
How superwinds help drive galactic development
Galactic superwinds – large outflows of gas created by a combination of supernova explosions and stellar winds – are closely connected to a galaxy’s earliest stages of development and evolution, including aspects like its size, shape, and even how many stars will eventually call it home.But while researchers have commonly observed these winds, very little is understood about the mechanism that drives them.