Using CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope, researchers explored the gas distribution in about 1,000 galaxies as part of the WALLABY survey. Lead author Seona Lee, a PhD student at The University of Western Australia node of the International Center for Radio Astronomy Research, said the findings give new insights into how stars are born from gas.

While earlier surveys could only map the gas distribution in a few hundred galaxies, the WALLABY survey has successfully mapped the atomic hydrogen gas in a significantly larger sample of galaxies. The survey revealed that having more gas in a galaxy does not automatically mean it will create more stars. Instead, galaxies that are forming stars usually have a higher concentration of gas in the areas where the stars reside.

Senior Principal Research Fellow at ICRAR Professor Barbara Catinella, who co-leads the WALLABY survey, said atomic hydrogen gas is the essential ingredient for making stars, in the same way that flour is to a cake.

The research showed that being able to conduct more detailed radio observations is key to helping scientists understand how galaxies grow and change over time. The team looked at radio waves and visible light from nearby galaxies to determine the amount of gas in the parts of the galaxy where stars are being born.