Astronomers have discovered a group of mysterious “UFO galaxies” that appear as red, glowing disc-shaped objects in the blackness of space. The galaxies were found by analyzing data collected by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which was able to capture stunning images of the objects due to its advanced infrared-light detection technology.
The UFO galaxies were likely hidden by clouds of dust and debris that surround them, masking the light from their inner star systems. The researchers found 56 of these galaxies, which are similar in size and shape to the Milky Way but are “much dustier.”
The UFO galaxies appear red because they emit very little visible light. Most of the light escaping from these galaxies is infrared radiation, and the small amount of visible light they emit is at the limit of what human eyes can perceive.
The researchers used a suite of computer simulations, neural network emulators, and mathematical models to determine the shapes of these large, red UFO galaxies. They found that they come in forms such as classic “flying saucers” (discs) and rugby ball-shaped “prolate spheroids.”
Each of these massive, red light- and infrared radiation-emitting galaxies contains roughly 50 times more dust than our own galaxy, the Milky Way. The researchers also found that the stars and planets within these UFO galaxies are hidden by thick clouds of dust.
The study’s lead author, Justus Gibson, said, “JWST allows us to see this type of galaxy that we never would have been able to see before. It tells us that maybe we didn’t understand the universe as well as we thought.”
The discovery of the UFO galaxies challenges current ideas of how galaxies form and suggest that gravity may not pool all the matter that swirls a young galaxy together into neatly defined planets and stars, leaving a lot of dust and debris behind.
The researchers are eager to continue studying these enigmatic galaxies, which have left them with many questions. As Dr. Nelson, assistant professor of astrophysics at CU Boulder, said, “Why on Earth do these galaxies have so much more dust than all the other galaxies? Got me.”
