Scientists Say Galactic Wobble , Offers Glimpse at Ancient , Cosmic Collisions.
Scientists have found that the entire Milky Way galaxy is rippling like a pond disturbed by a large stone.
The Byte reports that the pond represents our home galaxy, while the stone is our nearest galactic neighbor, the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy.
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According to a new study published in the journal of the 'Royal Astronomical Society,' the ancient wobbling may shed light on our galaxy's distant past.
The wobble astronomers are now observing is the result of a cosmic collision that occurred eons ago.
We can see that these stars wobble and move up and down at different speeds, Paul McMillan, co-author and astronomer at Sweden's Lund University, via The Byte.
A team of international researchers utilized data from the European Space Agency's Gaia space observatory to track and compare over 20 million Milky Way stars.
A team of international researchers utilized data from the European Space Agency's Gaia space observatory to track and compare over 20 million Milky Way stars.
The Byte reports that the process known as "galactic seismology" was used to generate models of the ripples.
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The team's results suggest that the Milky Way and Sagittarius galaxies have collided multiple times throughout the history of the universe.
The team's results suggest that the Milky Way and Sagittarius galaxies have collided multiple times throughout the history of the universe.
Researchers trace the likely time of the last Sagittarius collision to hundreds of millions of years ago.
An understanding of previous Sagittarius collisions may allow scientists to predict likely future collisions
