Astronomers Discover Rare ‘Fossil Galaxy’ 3 Billion Light-Years Away – 10 Key Points

1. What Is a Fossil Galaxy?

Fossil galaxies are rare cosmic structures that stopped evolving billions of years ago. After a short but intense star-forming phase, they remain frozen in time, unlike typical galaxies that keep growing and merging.

2. Meet KiDS J0842+0059

This newly discovered fossil galaxy, named KiDS J0842+0059, lies three billion light-years from Earth, a recent report published by CNN stated. It’s the most distant and the first of its kind found outside our local universe, according to a study led by the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF).

3. ‘Relics’ From a Young Universe

“These objects are very rare,” CNN quoted lead researcher Crescenzo Tortora of INAF as saying. “They did not merge with any other galaxy, remaining more or less intact through time.”

4. Born Fast, Died Young

Coauthor Chiara Spiniello of the University of Oxford revealed that these galaxies have “an early burst of star formation” and that they formed when “the universe was really, really young… and did absolutely nothing thereafter,” as reported by CNN.

5. Packed With Stars, But No New Ones

Relic galaxies are incredibly compact and dense. “They contain (billions) of stars as massive as the sun… and are not forming any new stars,” Spiniello explained.

6. Fossil Clues About the Early Universe

According to astrophysicist Michele Cappellari, these galaxies “avoided chaotic mergers, thereby allowing us to “reconstruct conditions from the universe’s infancy.”

7. A Big Role for Black Holes?

Cappellari suggested supermassive black holes might have halted star formation by blasting out gas: “This remains an active area of research.”

8. Discovered in Chile, Confirmed in Arizona

Originally spotted in 2018 with Chile’s VLT Survey Telescope, KiDS J0842+0059 was later confirmed using Arizona’s Large Binocular Telescope, known for its sharp imaging.

9. A Crowded Galaxy With an Unknown Fate

“It’ll be super crowded,” Spiniello reportedly said, adding, “We don’t know what keeps it from merging with others… without that, we can’t predict what’s going to happen in the future.”

10. One in Millions

“These galaxies are one in millions,” Spiniello stressed, per CNN. Thanks to ESA’s Euclid telescope, scientists hope to find many more. “Euclid will be transformational,” she added.