milky way
The Large Magellanic Cloud isn’t Very Metal
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is the Milky Way's most massive satellite galaxy. Because it's so easily observed, astronomers have…
The Milky Way’s Smallest, Faintest Satellite Galaxy Found
The Milky Way has many satellite galaxies, most notably the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. They're both visible to the…
Gaia Finds Ancient Streams of Stars That Formed the Milky Way
Using ESA’s Gaia spacecraft, astronomers have tracked down two streams of stars that likely formed the foundation of the Milky…
Astronomers Find the Most Massive Supercluster to Date
The Earth’s place in space is a fairly familiar one with it orbiting an average star. The star - our…
Are Andromeda and the Milky Way Already Exchanging Stars?
I often drag out the amazing fact that the Andromeda Galaxy, that faint fuzzy blob just off the corner of…
Astronomers Build a 3D Map of Dust Within Thousands of Light-Years
If you explore the night sky it won’t be long before you realise there is a lot of dust and…
JWST Sees a Milky Way-Like Galaxy Coming Together in the Early Universe
The gigantic galaxies we see in the Universe today, including our own Milky Way galaxy, started out far smaller. Mergers…
There’s Less Dark Matter at the Core of the Milky Way
Science really does keep you on your toes. First there was matter and then there were galaxies. Then those galaxies…
Why Don't We See Robotic Civilizations Rapidly Expanding Across the Universe?
In 1950, while sitting down to lunch with colleagues at the Los Alamos Laboratory, famed physicist and nuclear scientist Enrico…
What Would Happen to Earth if a Rogue Star Came Too Close?
Stars are gravitationally fastened to their galaxies and move in concert with their surroundings. But sometimes, something breaks the bond.…