An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A galaxy showing a short-lived intense period of star formation that is unsustainable over the → Hubble time due to the limited supply of gas within a galaxy. Starburst galaxies were first classified by Searle & Sargent (1972) and Searle et al. (1973), based on the blue colors produced by the → massive stars formed during the burst. In the local Universe, starbursts create approximately 10% of the radiant energy and 20% of the massive stars. At z = 1, starburst characteristics are found in 15% of galaxies, presumably attributable to the greater amounts of gas typically present in young galaxies and increased galactic interactions. The starburst’s impact on a galaxy and the surrounding → intergalactic medium is primarily due to the consumption of gas that fuels the burst and the feedback from massive stars formed in the burst (McQuinn et al. 2010, astro-ph/1008.1589).

See also: → starburst; → galaxy.