#galaxy mergers

All articles tagged with "galaxy mergers"

A Vera Rubin Observatory view of a portion of the Virgo Cluster. Galaxies are crammed together so close that that their gravitational pull tears them apart,as we see in the two galaxies near the center of the image. That leaves behind some galaxies without as many stars as they started with, but with "overmassive" black holes. Image credit: RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/NSF/DOE/AURA

JWST Offers New Evidence That Black Hole Mergers Shape Dwarf Galaxies

Observations of two dwarf galaxies in the Virgo Cluster suggest past mergers stripped away stars and left behind disproportionately massive black holes, including one that appears displaced from its galactic center.

Key Takeaways

JWST observations focused on dwarf galaxies NGC 4486B and UCD736 in the Virgo Cluster.
Researchers say mergers stripped stars away and left the galaxies with overmassive black holes.

DT Editorial Team·Apr 16, 2026·via universetoday.com