Why is it in the news?

• Recently, a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) aims to understand the connection between gravitational instabilities and galaxy evolution.
  • It examined the relationship between gravitational instabilities, star formation, gas fraction, time scale for instability growth, and galaxy morphology.

More about the news

• The study analysed data from 175 galaxies taken from the Spitzer Photometry and Accurate Rotation Curves (SPARC) database.
• Spiral galaxies, like the Milky Way, were found to have higher star formation rates, lower stability, lower gas fractions, and shorter time scales for gravitational instability growth.
  • This suggests that gravitational instabilities in spiral galaxies rapidly convert gas into stars, depleting the gas reservoirs.
• The study compared stability levels in nearby galaxies with those observed at high redshift, providing insights into the connection between gravitational instabilities and galaxy evolution.
  • The results suggest that galaxies with marginal stability levels undergo intense, short-term star formation, depleting gas reserves, while highly stable galaxies have slower, long-term star formation processes.
• The study highlights the need for future investigations into the impact of gravitational instabilities on the morphological evolution of galaxies across different redshifts.