Sunburst Galaxy

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/sunburst-galaxy

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the redshift (z)?Approximately 2.37, corresponding to a lookback time of over 12 billion years
2. What is the lensing magnification factor?Estimated to be around 40 times
3. Why is the Sunburst Galaxy so bright?It is bright because it is making stars at a very fast rate, hundreds of times faster than our Milky Way. The light from the galaxy is also magnified by a huge group of other galaxies in front of it, which makes it look even brighter.
4. How do scientists see the Sunburst Galaxy?Scientists use a trick called gravitational lensing, where a big cluster of galaxies bends and brightens the light from the Sunburst Galaxy. This magnification is about 40 times, so the galaxy can be studied in detail.

Redshift: The stretching of light waves from distant objects, indicating their movement away from us and the expansion of the universe.
Hyperluminous Starburst Galaxy: A galaxy with an exceptionally high rate of star formation, producing luminosity far beyond typical galaxies.
Reionization: The epoch in the early universe when neutral hydrogen atoms were ionized by ultraviolet radiation from the first stars and galaxies.
Metallicity: The abundance of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium in a celestial object, often used as a measure of chemical enrichment.