Open AccessMeasuring the Expansion or Contraction of Galaxies
Author(s) -
Abraham Loeb
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
research notes of the aas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2515-5172
DOI - 10.3847/2515-5172/ac5185
Subject(s) - physics , astrophysics , galaxy , cosmic cancer database , stars , contraction (grammar) , accretion (finance) , astronomy , medicine
Galaxies lose mass as a result of their luminosity or gaseous outflows. I calculate the resulting radial migration of stars outwards and show that it could potentially be measured with high resolution spectrographs on the next generation of large telescopes. Substantial accretion of matter in dense cosmic environments could trigger inward stellar migration that would be even more easily measurable.