The researchers were aided by an exciting new set of computer simulations of the hydrodynamics of the gas flows developed by Yuan Li of the University of Michigan. "This is the first time we now have models in hand that predict how these things ought to look," explained Donahue. "And when we compare the models to the data, there's a stunning similarity between the star-forming showers we observe and ones that occur in simulations. We're getting a physical insight that we can then apply to models."
Along with Hubble, which shows where the old and the new stars are, the researchers used the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, the Herschel Space Observatory, the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, XMM-Newton, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Jansky Very Large Array, the National Optical Astronomy Observatory's Kitt Peak 3.5-meter WIYN Telescope, and the 6.5-meter Magellan Baade Telescope. Together these observatories paint the complete picture of where all of the gas is, from the hottest to the coldest. The suite of telescopes shows how galaxy ecosystems work, including the black hole and its influence on its host galaxy and the gas surrounding that galaxy.