Ring of stars circles Milky Way
Posted: Tue, Jan 7, 2003, 9:04 AM ET (1404 GMT)
Astronomers announced Monday that they have discovered a ring of stars of unknown origin circling our galaxy. Using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, astronomers said they located the ring after finding an excess of stars when looking in the direction of the outer edge of the galaxy. The ring, about 120,000 light-years in diameter, contains about one billion stars and is likely held in place by the gravitational effects of dark matter. How the ring formed is uncertain, although astronomers involved in the discovery speculate that it might result from the collision of the Milky Way with a smaller satellite galaxy billions of years ago. One European astronomer told SPACE.com that the ring might also have been created after a disturbance to the main disk of the galaxy kicked out stars. Similar rings have not been found around other galaxies, although the faint surface brightness of the Milky Way's ring might make detections around other galaxies difficult.
Astronomers announced Monday that they have discovered a ring of stars of unknown origin circling our galaxy. Using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, astronomers said they located the ring after finding an excess of stars when looking in the direction of the outer edge of the galaxy. The ring, about 120,000 light-years in diameter, contains about one billion stars and is likely held in place by the gravitational effects of dark matter. How the ring formed is uncertain, although astronomers involved in the discovery speculate that it might result from the collision of the Milky Way with a smaller satellite galaxy billions of years ago. One European astronomer told SPACE.com that the ring might also have been created after a disturbance to the main disk of the galaxy kicked out stars. Similar rings have not been found around other galaxies, although the faint surface brightness of the Milky Way's ring might make detections around other galaxies difficult.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
House appropriators seeking alternatives to SLS EUS upper stage
Posted: Sun, Jul 27 12:52 PM ET (1652 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Monday, July 28
Seoul drives to create 'Korean SpaceX' with landmark Hanwha deal, but challenges remain
JoongAng Daily — 5:38 am ET (0938 GMT) Supporting the ethical development of UK spaceports
Northumbria University — 5:36 am ET (0936 GMT) ‘One mission to watch Earth’: ISRO-NASA's joint satellite NISAR set for July 30 launch
ANI — 5:34 am ET (0934 GMT) Nisar launch on July 30: Why it will not work for the first 90 days
India Today — 5:33 am ET (0933 GMT) NASA-ISRO joint satellite NISAR set to be launched on July 30: All you need to know
Indian Express — 5:30 am ET (0930 GMT) |
