NEWLY DISCOVERED MOLECULE CHALLENGES IDEA OF HOW SOME GALAXIES FORM

 Using the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers have discovered gas reservoirs around multiple distant galaxies that fuel the creation of stars. The discovery of the molecule CH+ has led scientists to challenge the theory of how winds affect the creation of new stars.
 During the violent births and deaths of stars, winds occur within galaxies which can eject gas from the galaxies. For a long time, scientists have agreed that these winds play an important a role in pushing gas beyond a galaxy's gravitational grasp.
 However, the discovery of CH+, also known as methylidynium - which acts as a tracer (imagine a drop ink in a current of water) - has allowed scientists to see previously unseen reservoirs of cold gas. These new reservoirs show the winds are actually doing the opposite.
 “By driving turbulence in the reservoirs, these galactic winds extend the starburst phase instead of quenching it," said Edith Falgarone at the Paris Observatory.
Read more about this fascinating story at: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2145887-hidden-pockets-of-turbulent-gas-fuel-stars-in-far-off-galaxies/
Image: Winds and their effects in the creation of new stars via ESO