Subscribe now

Space

Zombie galaxy came back to life after 20 million years

Galaxies that stop making stars don’t usually start up again, but now we’ve seen one wake from the dead for the first time – and it may explain what we’ve got wrong about galaxies in the early universe

By Leah Crane

19 July 2024

An artist’s impression of the very distant undead galaxy

ESO/M. Kornmesser

A strange, zombie-like galaxy has been spotted in the distant universe. This undead galaxy stopped forming stars for 20 million years before coming back to life in a burst of activity, and it could help explain a cosmic mystery about the earliest galaxies.

“We’ve seen galaxies going through bursts of star formation, and we’ve also seen galaxies that are no longer forming stars, but this is the first instance of seeing a galaxy that’s stopped forming stars and then gone through this sort of rejuvenation process,” says …

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox! We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, subscribe today with our introductory offers

View introductory offers

No commitment, cancel anytime*

Offer ends 2nd of July 2024.

*Cancel anytime within 14 days of payment to receive a refund on unserved issues.

Inclusive of applicable taxes (VAT)

or

Existing subscribers

Sign in to your account

More from New Scientist

Explore the latest news, articles and features

Popular articles

Trending New Scientist articles

1

How to use psychology to hack your mind and fall in love with exercise

2

Why many studies wrongly claim it’s healthy to drink a little alcohol

3

Physicists may now have a way to make element 120 – the heaviest ever

4

The remarkable science-backed ways to get fit as fast as possible

5

What is the optimal amount of exercise and how much is too much?

6

When is the best time to exercise to get the most from your workout?

7

Chinese nuclear reactor is completely meltdown-proof

8

Shock discovery reveals deep sea nodules are a source of oxygen

9

How fast do we get out of shape and is there a way to slow the loss?

10

Komodo dragons have teeth capped with a layer of iron