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The Evolution of Galaxies: Evidence from Optical Observations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 February 2017

Beatrice M. Tinsley*
Affiliation:
Yale University Observatory

Extract

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The clearest evidence that galaxies evolve comes from the Milky Way: here we see stars with ages and lifetimes differing by 4 orders of magnitude, and with chemical compositions indicating a hundred-fold enrichment in metals between the times of formation of the halo and most disc stars. the general resolution of Olbers' Paradox also gives evidence for cosmological change: the sky is dark because galaxies turned on a finite time ago (Harrison, 1974). Here I discuss some of the further evidence for galactic evolution that is emerging from observations probing billions of years in lookback time.

Type
IV. Observational Evidence for Cosmological Evolution
Copyright
Copyright © Reidel 1978 

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