Milky Way Devoured Ancient Galaxy 12 Billion Years Ago
- Galactic archaeologists have discovered that the Milky Way devoured a smaller galaxy approximately 11.8 billion years ago, according to research published in the journal Nature.
- According to findings highlighted by BBC Sky at Night Magazine and The Conversation, scientists identified specific groups of stars whose trajectories and chemical signatures reveal they originated outside...
- According to the study published in Nature, the evidence points to a massive accretion event that occurred 1.8 billion years before the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus merger, which has long been...
Galactic archaeologists have discovered that the Milky Way devoured a smaller galaxy approximately 11.8 billion years ago, according to research published in the journal Nature. The newly identified cosmic collision occurred shortly after the Big Bang, marking a massive accretion event that predates the well-known Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus merger by roughly 1.8 billion years.
Uncovering the 11.8 Billion-Year-Old Galactic Collision
According to findings highlighted by BBC Sky at Night Magazine and The Conversation, scientists identified specific groups of stars whose trajectories and chemical signatures reveal they originated outside our galaxy.
Comparing the Ancient Accretion Event to Later Mergers
According to the study published in Nature, the evidence points to a massive accretion event that occurred 1.8 billion years before the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus merger, which has long been studied as a major shaping event for the Milky Way.