Intense heat 'killed' the universe's would-be galaxies

Intense heat from the first stars and black holes "killed" millions of would-be galaxies in the early universe, a new research has revealed.

Intense heat from the first stars and black holes "killed" millions of would-be galaxies in the early universe, a new research has revealed.

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However, our Milky Way galaxy only survived as it was already immersed in a large clump of dark matter, which trapped gases inside it, an international team, led by the University of Durham, has found in its research.

According to planetary scientists, the early Milky Way, which had begun forming stars, held on to the raw gaseous material from which further stars would be made. The high temperatures generated by "ignition" of the universe after the Big Bang would otherwise have evaporated this material.

Tiny galaxies inside small clumps of dark matter were blasted away by heat, which reached approximate temperatures of between 20,000 and 100,000 degrees centigrade, they said.

Dark matter is thought to make up 85 per cent of the Universe's mass and is believed to be one of the building blocks of galaxy formation.

Using computer simulations, the team examined why galaxies like the Milky Way has so few companion galaxies or satellites. The simulations revealed hundreds of thousands of small clumps of dark matter should be orbiting our galaxy.

The scientists said the heat from the early stars and black holes rendered this dark matter barren and unable to support the development of satellite star systems.