Bangladeshi-Origin Astronomer Dr. Lamia Mowl Makes Groundbreaking Discovery

Bangladeshi-origin astronomer Dr. Lamia Mowl has made a groundbreaking discovery that was recently published in the internationally renowned science journal Nature. Her research has led to the finding of a new galaxy, named "Firefly Sparkle," which was formed just 600 million years after the birth of the universe (the Big Bang).

Dr. Mowl, who is an assistant professor at Wellesley College in Massachusetts and an associate member of the Centre for Astronomy, Space Science & Astrophysics (CASA) at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), conducted the research with a team of 21 scientists. They used data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to find the galaxy, which is providing valuable information on how galaxies were formed and evolved in the early stages of the universe.

The 'Firefly Sparkle' galaxy is made up of 10 compact star clusters. It is also accompanied by two smaller galaxies, named 'Firefly-Best Friend' and 'Firefly-New Best Friend.' Together, these galaxies are providing insights into the formation and evolution of ancient galaxies like our own Milky Way.

This discovery was made possible by a natural phenomenon called 'gravitational lensing.' When light from a distant galaxy passes through a massive galaxy cluster, it bends and is magnified many times over. In this process, the light from 'Firefly Sparkle' was magnified 26 times, allowing the scientists to study its complex structure despite the immense distance.

Dr. Mowl said, "The light from 'Firefly Sparkle' took 13.2 billion years to reach us. However, due to the expansion of the universe, the galaxy is now located much farther away than 13.2 billion light-years. If we could see it now, it would likely look like our own Milky Way galaxy. This discovery has given us an unbelievable glimpse into the childhood of our galaxy."

Dr. Khan Muhammad Bin Asad, an assistant professor in the Physical Sciences Department and director of CASA at IUB, said, "The practice of professional astronomy and astrophysics in Bangladesh has just begun, and we hope that IUB's CASA will act as a pioneer in this field. I congratulate Dr. Mowl for this groundbreaking research. Her connection with us, and the sharing of research and knowledge, has significantly contributed to building the foundation for astronomy education and research at IUB."

IUB is the only university in Bangladesh with a research center for professional astronomers. It is also the only university in the country that offers a minor in astronomy and astrophysics. IUB also has two deep-space imaging telescopes, which were obtained in 2022 through an outreach grant secured by Dr. Mowl from the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto.