News by Levels · Level 1 · Student worksheet

Scientists Find Missing Oxygen in Small Galaxies

Name: __________________________ Date: __________________

Read the story

Scientists have studied 37 small galaxies near our own. They found less oxygen there than they expected.

Stars make oxygen. The researchers think powerful star explosions can push some of it out of a galaxy.

The team used pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope and information from other telescopes. NASA announced the findings on November 2.

Scientists still do not know exactly where most of the missing oxygen is. It may be in gas around the galaxies, or it may have travelled farther away.

Source: NASA, 2026-11-02. https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasas-hubble-uncovers-case-of-missing-oxygen-in-nearby-dwarf-galaxies/

Read and practise

1. What did the scientists find in the 37 small galaxies?

   1. More oxygen than they expected.
   2. The exact amount of oxygen they expected.
   3. Less oxygen than they expected.

2. What do researchers think can push oxygen out of a galaxy?

   1. The light from nearby galaxies
   2. Powerful star explosions
   3. The formation of new stars alone

3. What do scientists still need to learn?

   1. Where most of the missing oxygen is
   2. How many galaxies they studied
   3. Which telescope supplied the pictures

Your turn

What might push oxygen out of the galaxies, and what remains unknown about it?

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Read online: https://newsbylevels.com/news/hubble-missing-oxygen-dwarf-galaxies-glow-study-2026/level-1/