Credit: Graphic: NASA, ESA, S. Toft (Niels Bohr Inst.), A. Feild (STScI); Science: NASA, ESA, S. Toft (Niels Bohr Inst.), et al.
DEVELOPMENT OF MASSIVE ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES.
This graphic shows the evolutionary sequence in the growth of massive elliptical galaxies over 13 billion years, as gleaned from space-based and ground-based telescopic observations. The growth of this class of galaxies is quickly driven by rapid star formation and mergers with other
galaxies.