One day, this stream will collide with our galaxy, flooding the Milky Way with star-forming gas and completely changing the landscape of the night sky.That day may be earlier than we thought.According to new research published Nov. 8 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the Magellanic Stream is far closer to our galaxy than previous quotes had actually recommended. They found that the stream sits simply 65,000 light-years from Earth– or about five times closer than previously thought.The ramifications for the Magellanic Stream and its future are huge; not just do these findings recommend that the stream is about one-fifth as enormous as previously thought, however likewise that it will clash with our galaxy much sooner– likely within about 50 million years, the researchers wrote.”The modified distance alters our understanding of the stream,” research study co-author Andrew Fox, a researcher at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Maryland, said in the statement.This indicates everything researchers thought they understood about the stream needs to be reassessed– consisting of when our galaxy will completely devour it, providing the Milky Way a fresh injection of star-forming gas.
One day, this stream will collide with our galaxy, flooding the Milky Way with star-forming gas and permanently changing the landscape of the night sky.That day may be faster than we thought.According to brand-new research study published Nov. 8 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the Magellanic Stream is far closer to our galaxy than previous price quotes had actually recommended. They found that the stream sits just 65,000 light-years from Earth– or about five times closer than formerly thought.The ramifications for the Magellanic Stream and its future are big; not just do these findings suggest that the stream is about one-fifth as massive as formerly believed, but likewise that it will clash with our galaxy much quicker– most likely within about 50 million years, the scientists wrote. The hot, gassy sheath around the bigger cloud adds to the overall mass of the dwarf galaxies, and it needs to substantially increase the friction and pressure put in on the 2 galaxies as they move through the corona, the researchers wrote.With these forces in mind, the team established a brand-new computer system simulation to design the history of the Magellanic Clouds and the Magellanic Stream.”The revised distance changes our understanding of the stream,” research study co-author Andrew Fox, a researcher at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Maryland, said in the statement.This means everything researchers thought they understood about the stream needs to be reassessed– consisting of when our galaxy will completely devour it, giving the Milky Way a fresh injection of star-forming gas.
