Big Bang Theory Can Be Tested In Metal Poor Galaxy

Astronomers have detected a faint blue dwarf galaxy which can be used as a medium to test the Big Bang Theory, according to a recent report. Nicknamed Leoncino, meaning the little lion, the AGC 198691 galaxy is the most metal poor one among the list of discovered galaxies until now. Therefore, Leoncino can be used as a time capsule that will give scientists more insight into the conditions that prevailed right after the creation of the Universe.

According to a report, the dwarf galaxy is located about 30 million light years away from the earth in the Leo Minor constellation, where it shines blue, bathed in the light of a new generation of stars. The researchers were able to figure out Leoncino's low metal content by observing it with a pair of stenographs mounted on the Multiple Mirror Telescope and Mayall 4-meter telescope, two Arizona based instruments.

Incidentally, any element heavier than hydrogen and helium is known as metal. In galaxies that are rich in metal, the heavier elements are formed by generations of stars' lifecycles through a technique called stellar processing. A star forms metals through nucleosynthesis, and spreads the resultant elements throughout the galaxy, once it becomes a supernova, in the process planting the seeds of the next generation of stars.

The environment of a metal poor galaxy stunts the whole process, which results in a chemical state similar to the early Universe. Since the present model of the Big Bang makes detailed predictions concerning the ratio of helium and hydrogen atoms, which resulted after the creation of the Universe, the poor metal galaxies can be used to examine one of humankind's most revered scientific theories.

"Finding the most metal-poor galaxy ever is exciting since it could help contribute to a quantitative test of the Big Bang," said John J. Salzer, research co-author from the Indiana University Bloomington. "There are relatively few ways to explore conditions at the birth of the universe, but low-metal galaxies are among the most promising." The team of astronomers now wants to conduct further analyses of AGC 198691 to gain more insight into the rare galactic treasure.