Rutgers scientists find small galaxies lose most oxygen made by stars
Researchers using NASA Hubble data analyzed 37 nearby dwarf galaxies to determine how much oxygen they retain compared to what their stars produced.
Oxygen retention rates vary widely
Scientists examined the chemical composition of dozens of small galaxies located within 22 million light-years of Earth. The team calculated that these systems kept between 4% and 25% of the oxygen their stars created over time. On average, the galaxies retained about 11% of this essential element.
Measurement methods rely on light
Oxygen is easy to detect because it emits light at specific colors that instruments can measure. This property allows astronomers to track how elements spread through the universe after stars form them. The study results were published in The Astrophysical Journal by a group including Rutgers astrophysicists.
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