Archive · 18 Jan 2026
IUCAA Scientists Discover Malin 1 Cannibalizing Dwarf Galaxies
Scientists from Pune have found that a big galaxy called Malin 1 is eating smaller galaxies.
They used special telescopes to see that Malin 1 has bright spots where new stars are forming.
These spots are actually pieces of smaller galaxies that Malin 1 is pulling apart.
The scientists think this process is helping Malin 1 grow.
They also found that the bright spots are moving very fast and have young stars, which shows that Malin 1 is still changing and growing by eating these smaller galaxies.
Scientists from IUCAA, Pune discovered that Malin 1, the largest known low-surface-brightness galaxy, is cannibalizing dwarf galaxies.
The team identified young star-forming clumps in Malin 1's central region using the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) onboard AstroSat.
The C1 clump in Malin 1's central region is moving 150 km/s faster than the surrounding material, suggesting it is an infalling dwarf galaxy.
The study found that the C1 clump has a young stellar population with rapid enrichment, indicating it is the remnant of a dwarf galaxy being cannibalized.
The findings were published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters in December 2025, shedding light on the growth of giant, low-surface-brightness galaxies.
- Who
- Scientists from IUCAA, Pune, led by Manish Kataria and supervised by Prof Kanak Saha
- What
- Discovered that Malin 1, the largest known low-surface-brightness galaxy, is cannibalizing dwarf galaxies
- When
- Findings published in December 2025
- Where
- Observations made using UVIT onboard AstroSat and MUSE on VLT in Chile
- Why
- To understand the growth of giant, low-surface-brightness galaxies and their impact on galaxy formation theories
- Galaxy
- Malin 1
- Research Institution
- Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune
- Lead Author
- Manish Kataria
- Supervisor
- Prof Kanak Saha
- Telescopes Used
- Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) onboard AstroSat, Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile
- Key Finding
- Malin 1 is cannibalizing dwarf galaxies, with evidence of young star-forming clumps in its central region
- Publication
- Astrophysical Journal Letters (December 2025)
- Clump Velocity
- 150 km/s faster than surrounding material