Hubble study finds dwarf galaxies missing much oxygen
- A GLOW study using Hubble archival images found that 37 nearby dwarf galaxies retain only a small share of the oxygen their stars produce.
- Simulations expected substantially more oxygen, but galactic winds clear oxygen from low-mass galaxies more efficiently than current models predict.
- The GLOW project, funded by NASA and NSF, mapped oxygen in stars, interstellar space, and intergalactic space.
- Kristen Wingfield McQuinn of Rutgers University leads the study, with Grace Telford of the University of Utah as co-investigator.
What happened
Hubble has revealed a mystery in our cosmic neighborhood. A GLOW study of 37 nearby dwarf galaxies found that much of the oxygen expected in these galaxies is missing. A Hubble image of NGC 4449, a dwarf irregular galaxy included in the study, has an announcement date of Nov. 2, 2026.
What we know
The GLOW study used archival optical imaging from Hubble and studied 37 nearby dwarf galaxies to track oxygen atoms. These galaxies are close enough for Hubble to distinguish individual stars.
Dwarf galaxies are small galaxies with a few thousand to hundreds of millions of stars. The selected galaxies have masses in a range where supernovae can expel oxygen, and supernovae push material out of their host galaxies.
Simulations indicate these galaxies should contain substantially more oxygen. In the observations, dwarf galaxies retain just a small share of the oxygen their stars produce, and galactic winds outpace current model predictions at clearing oxygen from low-mass galaxies.
Oxygen is made by stars inside galaxies and is the most plentiful element after hydrogen and helium. The GLOW project mapped oxygen in stars, in the space between stars, and in the space between galaxies.
NASA and the National Science Foundation funded the GLOW project. Kristen Wingfield McQuinn is the GLOW principal investigator, an associate professor at Rutgers University, and mission head of the Science Operations Center for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Grace Telford, a co-investigator, is affiliated with the University of Utah.
A 2014 study found that galaxies similar to the Milky Way lost a large share of their oxygen. The GLOW work broadened that research to low-mass systems with many different masses and environments.
Why it matters
The result shows that current models do not match the observed oxygen loss in low-mass galaxies. Oxygen is the most plentiful element after hydrogen and helium, and galactic winds clear oxygen from low-mass galaxies more efficiently than present models expect.
The GLOW project is funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation and uses Hubble archive data.
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