All-Sky Map of the Milky Way's Outer Reaches & Dark Matter Simulation (VIDEO)
Caption
The new map reveals how a small galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) - so-named because it is the larger of two dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way - has sailed through the Milky Way's galactic halo like a ship through water, its gravity creating a wake in the stars behind it. The LMC is located about 160,000 light-years from Earth, and is less than one quarter the mass of the Milky Way. Though the inner portions of the halo have been mapped with a high level of accuracy, this is the first map to provide a similar picture of the halo's outer regions, where the wake is found - about 200,000 light years to 325,000 light years from the galactic center. Previous studies have hinted at the wake's existence, but the all-sky map confirms its presence and offers a detailed view of its shape, size, and location.
Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/NSF/R. Hurt/N. Garavito-Camargo & G. Besla
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