Our galaxy is relatively young, and it is still producing stars. Other galaxies have long since stopped doing so, becoming what is known as quiescent, or passive and gas-poor. Now, research published Thursday in the journal Nature explains why this phenomenon happens.
In their paper, experts from the University of Cambridge and the Royal Observatory Edinburgh Institute for Astronomy explain that although the “primary mechanism responsible for quenching star formation in galaxies and transforming them into quiescent and passive systems” is unclear, and in many cases, the cause is linked to something known as “strangulation.”
Strangulation, Science explains, occurs when gas no longer falls into the galaxy, cutting off the supply of materials required in order to form new stars. The authors reached this conclusion after comparing nearly 4,000 star-forming galaxies alongside more than 22,000 that are quiescent.
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