A galaxy called NGC 6789, as seen by the Two-meter Twin Telescope
Ignacio Trujillo et al 2025
About 12 million light years away lies an intriguing galaxy known as NGC 6789. This galaxy has been actively forming new stars in its core for the past 600 million years, despite the lack of a visible source for the fuel required for this star formation process.
NGC 6789, initially discovered in 1883, has only recently been observed to exhibit ongoing star formation. Situated in the direction of the Draco constellation within the Local Void, which is characterized by its sparse nature, NGC 6789 is one of the few galaxies found in this desolate region, making it an isolated celestial body compared to others in the universe.
The mystery surrounding NGC 6789’s star formation arises from the scarcity of gas in the Local Void. Typically, galaxies rely on gas as a vital component for the formation of new stars. Given that NGC 6789 is over 1 billion years old, it should have depleted its original gas reservoir by now. However, in the last 600 million years, the galaxy has managed to produce a significant amount of stars, equivalent to about 100 million times the mass of the sun, constituting approximately 4% of its total stellar mass.
Ignacio Trujillo and researchers from the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands utilized the Two-meter Twin Telescope at Teide Observatory in Tenerife to capture detailed images of NGC 6789 in hopes of uncovering any potential events that could explain the influx of gas. If there had been a recent merger with another galaxy or an undetected gas stream, it would likely have caused distortions in NGC 6789’s shape.
However, the latest images failed to reveal any such disturbances. The absence of visible changes in the galaxy’s structure suggests the possibility of residual gas from NGC 6789’s formation process or the presence of a delicate nearby gas reservoir that did not alter the galaxy’s appearance. As of now, the enigma surrounding NGC 6789’s inexplicable star formation persists, awaiting further investigation.
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