star formation history

Star formation history describes how, when, and where stars have formed in a galaxy over time. It involves studying patterns of how gas clouds collapse to create new stars, and how these processes have changed across billions of years. By analyzing light and other signals from stars and galaxies, astronomers piece together this timeline to understand the galaxy’s growth, the impact of events like supernovae, and how star formation slowed or sped up at different periods. Essentially, it’s a cosmic record of a galaxy’s evolving light and star-making activity.