Recycling galaxies caught in the act
Friday, March 30, 2012 - 07:31
in Astronomy & Space
(PhysOrg.com) -- When astronomers add up all the gas and dust contained in ordinary galaxies like our own Milky Way, they stumble on a puzzle: There is not nearly enough matter for stars to be born at the rates that are observed. Part of the solution might be a recycling of matter on gigantic scales veritable galactic fountains of matter flowing out and then back into galaxies over multi-billion-year timescales.