Which raw materials are typically scarce in Elliptical Galaxies, inhibiting new star birth?
Answer
Cold gas and dust clouds
The primary reason elliptical galaxies are considered 'stellar graveyards' is their extreme deficiency in the cold molecular gas and dust required to initiate gravitational collapse and subsequent star formation. While they are rich in older stellar populations, the fuel source for creating new stars is largely absent, having either been exhausted during a historical burst of activity or stripped away by environmental effects. Although some large ellipticals may contain hot, diffuse gas, this material is too energized to cool sufficiently to undergo the necessary collapse into new star-forming structures.
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