When most of us picture the shape of the Milky Way, the galaxy that contains our own sun and hundreds of billions of other stars, we think of a central mass surrounded by a flat disc of stars that spiral around it. However, astronomers know that rather than being symmetrical, the disc structure is warped, more like the brim of a…
Tag: Galactic Collision
Newfound ‘Kraken merger’ may have been the biggest collision in Milky Way’s history
Astronomers have discovered a previously unknown galactic collision between the Milky Way and the mysterious ‘Kraken galaxy.’ Source: https://www.livescience.com/milky-way-ancient-kraken-merger.html
The Milky Way’s impending galactic collision is already birthing new stars
The outskirts of the Milky Way are home to the galaxy’s oldest stars. But astronomers have spotted something unexpected in this celestial retirement community: a flock of young stars. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-01-milky-impending-galactic-collision-birthing.html…
A second black hole at our galaxy’s center?
There’s a supermassive black hole – 4 million times our sun’s mass – in the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Astronomers who’ve measured star movements near this central black hole are now saying there might be a 2nd companion black hole near it. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/supermassive-black-hole-milky-way-galaxys-center-may-have-friend…