Gaia Spots an Enormous Ghost Galaxy Right Next Door that's Being Dismantled by the Milky Way

By Evan Gough November 14, 2018
Gaia Spots an Enormous Ghost Galaxy Right Next Door that's Being Dismantled by the Milky Way

“This is a ghost of a galaxy. Objects as diffuse as Ant 2 have simply not been seen before.” - Gabriel Torrealba, lead author.

“We are wondering whether this galaxy is just the tip of an iceberg, and the Milky Way is surrounded by a large population of nearly invisible dwarfs similar to this one.” - co-author Matthew Walker, Carnegie Mellon University.

The Simplest Explanation for this Ghost Galaxy... Maybe

Sources:

  • Cambridge University Press Release: "Gaia spots a ‘ghost’ galaxy next door"

  • Research Paper: "The hidden giant: discovery of an enormous Galactic dwarf satellite in Gaia DR2"

  • ESA Gaia page

  • Wikipedia: RR Lyrae Stars

    • Evan Gough

    Evan Gough

    Evan Gough is a science-loving guy with no formal education who loves Earth, forests, hiking, and heavy music. He's guided by Carl Sagan's quote: "Understanding is a kind of ecstasy."