Loktak Protocluster: A Newly Discovered Galaxy Structure Named After Manipur’s Loktak Lake

Why in News?

An Indian-origin astrophysicist based in Japan has named a newly discovered large-scale galaxy structure the Loktak Protocluster, after Manipur’s famous Loktak Lake, bringing the identity of the northeastern state into the field of astronomy.

About the Discovery

• The structure has been officially named the Loktak Protocluster.
• It is a protocluster—a primitive galaxy cluster that is still forming under the influence of gravity.
• Scientists describe it as a “city of galaxies” under construction, offering insights into the early stages of cosmic evolution.
• The discovery was led by Dr Ronaldo Laishram, currently a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.
• The findings were published in the The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Key Findings of the Study

• The research team utilized observations from the Subaru Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope.
• The Loktak Protocluster contains four interconnected concentrations of galaxies, forming a single massive evolving system.
• The study revealed that galaxies located in dense environments were already evolving differently from those in less crowded regions during the early Universe.
• This suggests that a galaxy’s surrounding environment significantly influences its growth and evolution.

Why the Name “Loktak”?

• The name draws inspiration from Loktak Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India.
• Loktak Lake is renowned for its floating masses of vegetation known as phumdis.
• Just as the lake contains interconnected floating islands within a single water body, the protocluster consists of multiple interconnected galaxy concentrations within one vast cosmic structure.

About Loktak Lake

• Located in Manipur, Loktak Lake is famous for its unique phumdis (floating islands of vegetation).
• It hosts the world’s only floating national park, Keibul Lamjao National Park.
• The park is the last natural habitat of the Sangai, the endangered brow-antlered deer of Manipur, scientifically known as Rucervus eldii eldii.
• The Sangai is popularly known as the “dancing deer of Manipur.”

Source: TH & Manipur Government