Galactic Game Changer: Unveiling the Hidden Satellites of the Milky Way
Researchers discovered two new satellite galaxies of the Milky Way using the Subaru telescope, hinting at a higher number of satellites than previously thought and…
Milky Way News
The Milky Way is our home galaxy, a vast collection of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity. Visible from Earth as a milky band of light stretching across the sky, the Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy, featuring a bright central bulge surrounded by swirling arms. It measures about 100,000 light-years across and contains an estimated 100 to 400 billion stars, including our Sun, which is located in one of its spiral arms, about 27,000 light-years from the galactic center. The center of the galaxy is believed to harbor a supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A*. The study of the Milky Way not only helps astronomers understand the structure and evolution of our own galaxy but also offers insights into the dynamics and properties of other galaxies in the universe.
Revealing the Milky Way’s Warp: How Cepheid Stars Map Our Dark Matter Halo
A research team developed a novel “motion picture” method to measure the precession rate of the Milky Way’s warp using Cepheid variable stars. Their findings…
Dark Matter Dynamics: Exploring the Strange Milky Way Satellite, Crater 2
Crater 2, a large, dim satellite galaxy, exhibits properties that challenge traditional cold dark matter theories. The SIDM theory provides a better explanation, suggesting dark…
Echoes of Ancient Flares: The “Quiet Monster” of the Milky Way Revealed
Scientists studied the past activity of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole in our galaxy, by analyzing light echoes from x-ray flares, indicating frequent past…
“Flares” and “Echoes” – Unveiling the Monster Black Hole at Our Galaxy’s Core
Michigan State University researchers have made important discoveries about the supermassive black hole at our galaxy’s center, presenting their findings based on NuSTAR X-ray data….
Hypervelocity Star Spotted Racing Through the Milky Way at 1.3 Million MPH
A newly discovered L subdwarf is on an unusual journey through our galaxy. The Sun is orbiting the Milky Way at 220 kilometers per second,…
Hidden in the Halo: MIT Researchers Discover the Universe’s Oldest Stars
Astronomers discovered three ancient stars circling the Milky Way’s halo, formed 12-13 billion years ago. MIT researchers have discovered three of the oldest stars in…
Galactic Rings of Power: Astronomers Uncover Massive Magnetic Toroids in the Milky Way Halo
Astrophysicists have discovered large magnetic toroids in the Milky Way’s halo, which impact cosmic ray propagation and the physics of interstellar space. Their research, based…
Einstein’s Legacy Proven Again With Monumental Black Hole Discovery
Researchers utilizing the European Gaia spacecraft have discovered a black hole in a binary system, located 1,500 light-years away and weighing 33 times the mass…
Record-Breaking Black Hole Discovered Just 2000 Light-Years From Earth
Astronomers have identified a stellar black hole in the Milky Way with a mass 33 times that of the Sun, located only 2000 light-years away….
Scientists Surprised by Sleeping Giant – Most Massive Stellar Black Hole in Our Galaxy Found Lurking Nearby
ESA’s Gaia mission has uncovered a massive dormant black hole in our galaxy, revealing new insights into the formation of stellar-mass black holes and setting…
Peering Into the Magnetic Soul of the Milky Way’s Central Black Hole
The Event Horizon Telescope has captured an image of the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* in polarized light, revealing strong, organized magnetic fields similar to…
Ancient Architects of the Milky Way: The Discovery of Shakti and Shiva
Astronomers have identified what could be two of the Milky Way’s earliest building blocks: Named “Shakti” and “Shiva,” these appear to be the remnants of…
Shattering Galactic Beliefs: Astronomers Uncover Surprising Magnetic Field Structures in Milky Way
A team of astronomers including those from the University of Tokyo created the first-ever map of magnetic field structures within a spiral arm of our…
Galactic Surprise: Milky Way’s Slower Outer Stars Suggest Dark Matter Overestimated
MIT’s study shows outer Milky Way stars rotate slower, indicating a lighter core with less dark matter, contradicting previous assumptions. By clocking the speed of…
Puzzling Baby Stars at the Galaxy’s Core: Astronomers Unravel Age Mystery
Through the study of detailed data obtained from a powerful ten-meter telescope located in Hawaii, a team of scientists at Lund University in Sweden have…
Redefining Cosmic Norms: Dwarf Galaxies and the Dark Matter Enigma
Recent Gaia satellite findings suggest that dwarf galaxies are transient and less influenced by dark matter than previously believed, challenging long-held assumptions about their nature…
Gaia’s Galactic Cartography: Building the Most Detailed 3D Map of the Milky Way
The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Gaia collaboration teams have published new data in the form of five Focused Product Releases. The results are…