X-Ray Mysteries in Dwarf Galaxies: Unveiling the Formation of Accretion Discs and Their Influence on Galactic Evolution

X-ray emissions are being studied in dwarf galaxies within the Virgo cluster using an observation program. The program is specifically focused on finding visible light emissions from sources of X-rays within these galaxies. Dwarf galaxies like IC 776 experience pressure from intergalactic gas that is similar to the sensation of air hitting your face while riding a bicycle as they move through the Virgo cluster.

This pressure can promote the formation of stars and fuel the central black hole within a galaxy. As more material spirals towards the black hole, it generates an energetic accretion disc that is hot enough to emit X-rays. Accretion discs are usually formed when material is pulled into a compact object by gravity and collides, forming a hot, luminous disc. The compact object can be either a white dwarf or neutron star in a binary pair, gathering material from its companion star, or it could be the supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy consuming material around it.