National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Computer Simulations Link Galaxies Past and Present

| Science

Ultra-high resolution super computer simulations have succeeded in revealing the future of the earliest and most distant galaxies known. The Subaru telescope and other recent advances in technology have led to the discovery of a large number of galaxies that existed when the universe was less than a quarter of its current age. Dr. Masao Mori (University of California, Los Angeles and Senshu University) and Dr. Masayuki Umemura (University of Tsukuba) calculated in detail how the life-cycle of stars and mergers of these early galaxies lead to the formation of the galaxies in the universe today. This research was published in the March 30, 2006, edition of Nature.