Long-lost sibling of the Milky Way was eaten by Andromeda billions of years ago
Scientists have
discovered the remnants of a galaxy hiding in plain sight.
The galaxy, named
M32p, was once the third largest in the group of galaxies nearest to our Milky
Way — known as the Local Group. The Andromeda galaxy and M32p existed in
harmony until around 2 billion years ago, but then something shifted.
According to a new
study published in the journal Nature
Astronomy today, Andromeda actually devoured the smaller galaxy, and its
remains can be see in the clouds, gas, and dust of the huge galaxy today.
Massive galaxies like Andromeda automaticallyattract other
galaxies to it when they're in close enough range due to its size and its
gravitational pull. Because of that, it’s not unusual for a galaxy of that mass
to effectively cannibalize other nearby galaxies nearby.
“To give an analogy
from the business world, one can grow through mergers and acquisitions. One
could possibly grow by metering with other smaller businesses,” author of the
study Richard D’Souza said via email.
“But if one really
wants to grow in size to certain level, one needs to acquire and merger
with another large business.”
Previously, scientists
believed that the population of stars known as a stellar halo surrounding
Andromeda were all formerly parts of smaller galaxies Andromeda had merged
with.
But something in the
researchers clicked when they realized that there was no way a bunch of
individual merging events with smaller galaxies would leave a trail this big.
D’Souza called this
their “eureka” moment.
“We realized that Andromeda's stellar
halo could only be formed by the merger of a single large galaxy," D'Souza
said.
In fact, there aren't
enough small galaxies in the universe to merge and create Andromeda's
stellar halo, he added.
The stellar halo is
larger than Andromeda itself, which led scientists to believe that the size of
the intact galaxy is roughly 20 times larger than anything the Milky Way has
merged with.
The realization also
helped solve the mystery surrounding the formation of M32, an extremely compact satellite galaxy,
full of young and old stars, that hovers near the center ofAndromeda.
Previously not much
was known about M32, but now it seems clear that the smaller galaxy is the
surviving center of M32p.
The computational
method used in this study will help further investigations other large galaxies
as well as advancing the literature on how galaxies evolve in general.
And it's a good thing
too.
One day — about 4
billion years from now — Andromeda and the Milky Way will collide with one
another. And while Earth and the sun may not be effected by the cataclysmic event, it'll put
on quite the cosmic show.
By: @helloimatthews
This is That Desensitization Iv been talking about. Protect you Sub-consious because It makes you you right under your nose.
ReplyDeleteTop Free movie sites like PrimeWire and you are searching forstream movies online, after you are going to want to use sites like PrimeWire also these free movie streaming sites make it easy for you to find new releases movies to watch online.
ReplyDeleteThat is a lie because we have only been here 6,021 years, not billions.
ReplyDeleteDoes this take into account the recent suggestion that M31 is not as large as has been thought? http://www.astronomy.com/news/magazine/2018/02/adromeda-is-the-same-size-as-the-milky-way
ReplyDeleteSuch a great place for fallout shelter hacks online without spending a single penny.
ReplyDeleteHi.
ReplyDeleteI think you have a typo. The LocalGroup, is a lot bigger than about 10 light-years across.
I believe the Local Group is more like 10 million light years across. Over 3 Mega parsecs.
ReplyDeleteRick beat me to it - can't be 10 light years across.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fine and informative explanation. I'm not sure, however that the kind of reader interested in astronomy has to be spoken to as if he or she were a child. I am referring to galaxies getting hungry and eating each other
ReplyDelete"Computer simulation"
ReplyDeleteIn lieu of actual knowledge.
The alleged scientific method:
1. Observe something.
2. Formulate a hypothesis.
3. Devise a test.
4. If the test fails, go to #2.
5. If the test passes and is confirmed, the hypothesis might be promoted to a theory and used to prove other hypotheses. And it might not.
The actual scientific method:
1. Formulate a theory.
2. Make a computer simulation.
3. Compare the simulation to observed data.
4. If they don't agree, find some way to adjust the data. If you can't adjust the data, ignore it.
5. Be sure your fellow scientists will agree with your findings, then publish.
Neither,since there is no one method.
DeleteModels are like other theories in that sense, often simplifying a huge problem, and they are definitely used for testing. In this work one of the tests was to recover observed properties sufficiently, what you call "comparison" to try to confuse matter. (A test is a comparison between your prediction and the observation vs a null hypothesis; it is not a "confirmation" either, but an inability (or not) of rejection.)
"Long-lost sibling of the Milky Way was eaten by Andromeda billions of years ago"
ReplyDeletegreat trailer
ReplyDeleteeureka
ReplyDelete“But if one really wants to grow in size to certain level, one needs to acquire and merger with another large business.”
ReplyDelete