submillimeter galaxy

noun

A type of starburst galaxy that primarily emits radiation in the sub-mm/T-hertz range. Due to the extreme dustiness of the galaxy, they are visible mostly in infrared emissions at their redshift, which are subsequently redshifted into the submm/THz range by Hubble expansion.

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Meanings

nounsubmillimeter galaxy (plural submillimeter galaxies)

plural submillimeter galaxies · alternative submillimetre galaxy

  1. astronomyA type of starburst galaxy that primarily emits radiation in the sub-mm/T-hertz range. Due to the extreme dustiness of the galaxy, they are visible mostly in infrared emissions at their redshift, which are subsequently redshifted into the submm/THz range by Hubble expansion.

Origin

From submillimeter + galaxy. From being a high-redshift galaxy whose emissions are primarily submillimetre-wave radiation (terahertz-radiation (T-wave/T-ray); electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths longer than infrared and shorter than microwave/radiowave).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

submillimeter galaxy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/submillimeter%20galaxy

MLA

“submillimeter galaxy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/submillimeter%20galaxy. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “submillimeter galaxy,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/submillimeter%20galaxy.

Source: submillimeter galaxy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.