Hubble Study Challenges 'Cosmic Fireworks' as Largest Driver of Galaxy Evolution

10 January 2012

AUSTIN — A Hubble Space Telescope study of massive galaxies two to three billion years after the Big Bang has uncovered two remarkable results that
challenge the common lore that major mergers play a dominant role in growing galaxies over a wide range of cosmic epochs. Astronomers led by University of Texas at Austin graduate student Tim Weinzirl and associate professor Shardha Jogee presented their findings, recently published in The Astrophysical Journal, January 10 at the 219th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Austin. more