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- The Milky Way is not as static as we once thought, scientists say.
- Our galaxy is actively attracted by the LMC, a nearby satellite galaxy.
- Future research may tell us what the future holds for the Milky Way.
The Milky Way, our home in the cosmos, was presented to us as a relatively calm rotating spiral. The pattern to follow for other galaxies, perhaps, as it seems perfectly proportioned and stable. However, new research is revealing this hypothesis to be false and a nearby collection of stars and gas is believed to be actively pulling our galaxy, distorting its shape.
The research, which was published in Nature Astronomy, suggests that the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC for short), which is our satellite galaxy, is having a dramatic effect on the shape and layout of the Milky Way.
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In the paper, the scientists reveal that the LMC is indeed pulling our galaxy with such force that it is being dragged into space at a dizzying speed of 32 km per second. However, our galaxy is not directed directly to the LMC, but rather to its previous position in space. The LMC itself is moving away from the Milky Way at an even greater speed of 370 km per second. The Milky Way is trying to move towards its satellite galaxy, but it essentially misses its mark due to the incredible speeds involved.
“Our findings require a new generation of models of the Milky Way to describe the evolution of our galaxy,” Dr Michael Petersen, lead author of the study, said in a statement. “We were able to show that stars at incredibly large distances, up to 300,000 light-years away, hold a memory of the Milky Way’s structure before the LMC fell and form a background against which we measured the stellar disk flying. in space, pulled by the gravitational force of the LMC. “
Understanding how our galaxy is actively changing is important for astronomers. Up until this point, the idea that our galaxy was simply relaxing was perhaps more widely accepted than it should have been. These new findings could help paint a clearer picture of what our galaxy is doing and what the future holds, although additional data will certainly be needed before any general statements can be made.
The researchers write:
Our results indicate that the dynamic models of our Galaxy cannot overlook the gravitational perturbations induced by the fall of the Large Magellanic Cloud, nor can stellar halo observations be treated in a frame of reference that does not correct the reflected movement of the disk. Future stellar halo spectroscopic investigations combined with Gaia astrometry will allow sophisticated modeling of the Large Magellanic Cloud’s trajectory through the Milky Way, constraining the distribution of dark matter in both galaxies in unprecedented detail.
Mike Wehner has been reporting on technology and video games for the past decade, covering the latest news and trends in VR, wearables, smartphones and the technology of the future. Most recently, Mike worked as a Tech Editor at The Daily Dot and has appeared on USA Today, Time.com, and countless other websites and in print. His love of the news is second only to his addiction to games.
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