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Scientists have found evidence of a dead galaxy in the Milky Way that arrived as a result of a collision 10 billion years ago. Researchers have dubbed the defunct galaxy “Heracles” and is thought to be a remnant of the early Universe.
Scientists believe that the remains of the ancient galaxy represent about one third of the spherical “halo” of the Milky Way, an area made up of star clusters, gas and dust.
Fossil galaxies can be found as they are usually found at the edge of the Milky Way.
However, the current one was found deep inside, suggesting it was a galaxy that first materialized shortly after the creation of the Universe.
To discover the fossil, the team used data from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (Apogee) project.
Dr Ricardo Schiavon, of Liverpool’s John Moores University Astrophysics Research Institute, said: ‘To’ see ‘that galaxy is fantastic.
“It’s really small in the cosmological context – only 100 million stars – but it accounts for nearly half the mass of the entire Milky Way halo.
‘To find a fossil galaxy like this, we had to look at the detailed chemical composition and movements of tens of thousands of stars.
“This is particularly difficult for stars at the center of the Milky Way to do, because they are hidden from view by clouds of interstellar dust.
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“By studying them in detail, we could trace the exact location and history of this fossil galaxy.”
The team believes the Heracles merger “must have been a major event in the history of our galaxy,” according to research published in The Monthly Notice of The Royal Astronomical Society.
This would make the Milky Way an oddity as “the most similar massive spiral galaxies had much quieter initial lives”.
Dr Schiavon said: “As our cosmic home, the Milky Way is already special to us, but this ancient galaxy buried within it makes it even more special.”
However, the Milky Way is not done with its mergers.
Andromeda, the nearest and much larger galaxy than the Milky Way, is headed towards us.
Andromeda is approaching the Milky Way at about five million kilometers a year and in two or four billion years it could consume our galaxy.
However, humanity will not have to worry about this, as our Sun will have destroyed the solar system by then.
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