Tiny Dwarf Galaxy

UNR undergraduate Andrew Sundquist took a color image of a dwarf galaxy, with the “phone number” SDSS J105310.82+501653.2, which is a remarkable demonstration of GBO’s abilities, given that this is a tiny galaxy of only 20th magnitude. This galaxy is deficient in elements heavier than helium, and it is believed that it has had a quiet evolutionary history over its lifetime. Andrew’s GBO image will complement a program with the Chandra X-ray telescope that includes observations of the same galaxy. The X-ray data revealed that this small galaxy hosts a rapidly accreting black hole, a discovery that will be used to help constrain how black holes formed and evolved just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang when the Universe was deficient in heavy elements.