spacetoday.net: Half of all stars may be outside of galaxies

Half of all stars may be outside of galaxies

Posted: Sun, Nov 9, 2014, 7:23 PM ET (0023 GMT)
CIBER experiment launch (NASA)

Data from a suborbital astronomy experiment has led astronomers to conclude that there may be as many stars outside of galaxies as within them. The Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment (CIBER), launched on a sounding rocket from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in 2013, scanned the night sky to measure the cosmic background at two frequencies of infrared light. The instrument detected more infrared light than expected, which astronomers believe comes from stars flung out from galaxies into intergalactic space. They estimate that up to half of all stars in the universe may no longer be in galaxies, a finding that could have implications for the models of galaxy development.