This video is an example of a powerful scientific simulation that helps cosmologists understand the mechanisms of galaxy formation and test out different theories about physics and cosmology.
Learn more about scientific computing and simulations on Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/ap-computer-science-principles/gl…
Credit: TNG Simulations (http://www.tng-project.org/media/)
Description from TNG project:
"Formation of a single galaxy, tracked through time from high redshift until the present day. This relatively "average" TNG50 galaxy will be just slightly less massive than our own Milky Way at z=0. We include a large-scale view (lower left), and zoomed in views of the central gas and stellar structures (lower right), while the main panel shows projected gas density. At z=1.5 we pause and rotate around the system, showing in order: gas metallicity, gas velocity field, and H-alpha luminosity, before continuing. What is a small dwarf at high redshift (108.3 solar masses in stars at z=4) transitions, at late times, into a large stable disk with a quasi-steady star formation rate of a few solar masses per year."