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Nature 460, 694-695 (6 August 2009) | doi:10.1038/460694a; Published online 5 August 2009

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Galaxy formation: Too small to ignore

Karl Glazebrook1

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A study of one galaxy's dynamics backs up previous claims that surprisingly compact galaxies existed in the early Universe. But how such objects blew up in size to form present-day galaxies remains a puzzle.

Giant red elliptical galaxies are the oldest and most massive assemblies of stars in the nearby Universe. Large optical telescopes have tracked their evolution back through 11 billion years — about 80% of the Universe's lifetime — by observing them at large cosmological redshifts1, 2, 3.

  1. Karl Glazebrook is at the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia.
    Email: karl@astro.swin.edu.au

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