Why is the hot gas found in elliptical galaxy halos generally unable to form new stars?
Answer
The high temperature keeps the gas too diffuse and energetic to collapse into dense molecular clouds
The temperature of the hot gas in elliptical halos is millions of degrees, which keeps the gas too diffuse and energetic to undergo the necessary gravitational collapse required to form cold, dense molecular clouds.
Related Questions
What are the three primary morphological groups used by astronomers to classify galaxies?Which galaxy types are generally most visibly rich in the raw materials needed for new star formation?Where is the interstellar medium (gas and dust) primarily concentrated within a spiral galaxy?What materials primarily constitute the tiny solid particles making up the dust component in spiral galaxies?What causes the prominent spiral arms of spiral galaxies to appear bright blue?What state of gas characterizes the enormous halos that envelop many large elliptical galaxies?Why is the hot gas found in elliptical galaxy halos generally unable to form new stars?What often leads to the chaotic structure and vigorous star formation seen in irregular galaxies?What characteristic composition dominates elliptical galaxies, contrasting with active spiral galaxies?How does a galactic merger help explain the transformation from a gas-rich spiral to a gas-poor elliptical?In spectral observations, which emission type would strongly indicate the presence of cold, star-forming material in a spiral but be largely absent in a large elliptical?