Milky Way tagged posts

This is a three-color optical image of a Milky Way sibling. Credit: Sloan Digital Sky Survey

The most-studied galaxy in the universe – the Milky Way – might not be as “typical” as previously thought, according to a new study. The Milky Way, which is home to Earth and its solar system, is host to several dozen smaller galaxy satellites. These smaller galaxies orbit around the Milky Way and are useful in understanding the Milky Way itself. Early results from the Satellites Around Galactic Analogs (SAGA) Survey indicate that the Milky Way’s satellites are much more tranquil than other systems of comparable luminosity and environment. Many satellites of those “sibling” galaxies are actively pumping out new stars, but the Milky Way’s satellites are mostly inert, the researchers found.

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Spiral galaxy Messier 61, picture taken with the Hubble Space Telescope. Our Milky Way might look like this galaxy. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA. Acknowledgements: G. Chapdelaine, L. Limatola, and R. Gendler

How does the gas in the centre of the Milky Way behave? Researchers from Heidelberg University, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Oxford, recently investigated the motion of gas clouds in a comprehensive computer simulation. The new model finally makes it possible to conclusively explain this complex gas motion.

Our solar system is located in the outer regions of the Milky Way, a disk-shaped galaxy with an approximate diameter of 100,000 light years...

Artist impression of the Milky Way Galaxy. Using the Green Bank Telescope, astronomers measured the relative abundance of light to heavy isotopes of silicon, as found in the molecule silicon monoxide, across the Milky Way. Surprisingly, the astronomer found none of the expected gradient — higher ratio of heavier silicon isotopes — toward the galactic center. This may suggest that the Milky Way is more efficient at mixing its contents than previously assumed. Credit: Alexandra Angelich (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

As galaxies age, some of their basic chemical elements can also show signs of aging. This aging process can be seen as certain atoms “put on a little weight,” meaning they change into heavier isotopes – atoms with additional neutrons in their nuclei...

This image shows three instances of merging galaxies located at least a billion light years from Earth. Each galaxy is as large as the Milky Way and contains about 100 billion stars. Violent gravitational interactions created the tidal tails shown and triggered massive black hole accretion at the galactic nuclei. These systems were first confirmed by Hai Fu in 2015. Credit: Hai Fu, University of Iowa

Astrophysicist wins grant to find and characterize super massive black holes associated with merging galaxies. In roughly 4 billion years, the Milky Way will be no more. Indeed, our home galaxy is on course to collide and unite with the Andromeda Galaxy, at present some 2 million light years away...