Blue Nugget (also called BN) galaxies are a type of distant galaxy that only existed in the early universe. Blue nugget galaxies are small but high mass galaxies undergoing mass bursts of star formation, making many large, bright blue stars. As their stellar population evolves and ages, blue nugget galaxies transition into red nugget galaxies.[1]
"Blue" derives from their blue coloration and "Nugget" derives from their small size.[2]
Examples of Blue Nugget galaxies:
- ^ Kohler, Susanna (2020-12-09). "Nugget Galaxies Cross in the Sky". AAS Nova. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
- ^ Paul Sutter (2019-07-26). "Astronomers Solve the Mystery of Small Galaxies with Monster Black Holes". Space.com. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
- ^ a b Napolitano, N. R.; Li, R.; Spiniello, C.; Tortora, C.; Sergeyev, A.; D’Ago, G.; Guo, X.; Xie, L.; Radovich, M.; Roy, N.; Koopmans, L. V. E.; Kuijken, K.; Bilicki, M.; Erben, T.; Getman, F. (December 2020). "Discovery of Two Einstein Crosses from Massive Post-blue Nugget Galaxies at z > 1 in KiDS*". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 904 (2): L31. arXiv:2011.09150. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/abc95b. ISSN 2041-8205.