Collisions with smaller galaxies have left the galaxy in disarray, scientists say.
Scientists say that about 70,000 million years ago – according to the standards of the universe – most recently, the galaxy crashed, leaving a lasting mark on its shape. They claim that discovery changes our understanding of the evolution of our galaxy and its history.
For a long time, our galaxy has been viewed as relatively stable, or in equilibrium. Instead, it is going through horrible profiles as it collides with a small galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud or LMC.
The effects of that global crash can still be seen today, researchers say, the way they upset the galaxy’s fabric.
Astronomers were able to explore how to wrap the galaxy’s motion using the statistical model Dell so that they could calculate the farthest starting speed in the galaxy.
They discovered that the galaxy was not moving in the direction of where the LMC is now, but considering where it was in the past. Looks like he’s trying to catch a fast train, and is missing.
The LMC lives as a galaxy satellite galaxy, and can be seen as a faint cloud in the Southern Hemisphere night sky.
But what cannot be seen is a halo of dark matter that surrounds us and our own galaxy, it has come out of recent research. Although those particles are invisible, they can be verified by their effects on the surrounding stars and gas.
The halo of dark matter weakens the disk of the galaxy, pulling it towards the Pe Gasus constellation. The strange direction is the result of the fact that the LMC itself is moving even faster than the galaxy.
“This discovery certainly breaks the spell that our galaxy is in some kind of equilibrium. Indeed, the recent influx of LMCs is violently disrupting the galaxy, ”said George Perubia, Personal Chair of Gravitational Dynamics, School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh.
“Understanding this can give us an unparalleled view of the distribution of dark matter in both galaxies.”
