By NE NOW NEWS
Imphal: Ronaldo Laishram, a 29-year-old astrophysicist from Manipur, has led the discovery of a massive early-universe galaxy structure named the “Loktak Protocluster”, bringing global scientific recognition to the state’s iconic Loktak Lake.
Originally from Khangabok in Thoubal district, Ronaldo is currently serving as a post-doctoral researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ).
Working with an international team of researchers, he identified the giant protocluster located around 12.6 billion light-years away, dating back to a period when the universe was only about 1.2 billion years old.
The findings have been published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, one of the world’s leading journals in astronomy and astrophysics.
A protocluster is considered an early-stage galaxy cluster, often described by scientists as a “city of galaxies” gradually forming under the influence of gravity in the young universe.
The discovery was made using data from the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii and James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), regarded as one of the world’s most advanced space observatories.
Explaining the significance of the research, Ronaldo said the study provides important insight into how galaxies formed and evolved in dense cosmic environments during the early stages of the universe.
Drawing a comparison with human society, he said galaxies located in crowded regions evolve differently from galaxies growing in isolation, much like differences between people living in cities and villages.
According to Ronaldo, while scientists already knew that galaxies in dense regions of the nearby universe tend to form stars earlier and stop star formation sooner, little was previously understood about whether similar environmental effects existed when the universe itself was still young.
Using observations from JWST and the Subaru Telescope, the research team found evidence that dense cosmic environments were already influencing galaxy evolution billions of years ago.
The team observed that galaxies within the protocluster appeared physically larger than galaxies evolving in relatively isolated regions of space.
Ronaldo said the galaxy structure was named after Loktak Lake because its four interconnected concentrations of galaxies reminded him of the floating phumdis of the lake, which remains deeply linked to Manipur’s identity.
“Naming this discovery after Loktak Lake is my way of connecting our home with the wider Universe,” he said.
Ronaldo’s research focuses on galaxy formation and evolution in the early universe using advanced observatories including JWST, the Subaru Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope.
His interest in astronomy began at an early age. At 18, he discovered a preliminary Main Belt asteroid during the All India Asteroid Search Campaign and was felicitated by former President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam in 2015.
Apart from his research work, Ronaldo is also the founding coordinator of the Manipur Astronomical Society, which promotes astronomy awareness and science education among students and young people across Manipur and the Northeast.