Tags: Galaxy

The Biggest Mystery Of The Entire Universe: What The Dark Matter Really Is

New observations from ESO's Very Large Telescope have revealed that the outer parts of massive disc galaxies 10 billion years ago were rotating less quickly than the spiral galaxies, like the Milky Way, that we see today. This ESOcast Light summarizes the important points of this discovery and the significance of the dark matter, and how it is distributed.

Black Hole Seen 'Burping' Gas

Astronomers witnessed a black hole in a nearby galaxy "burping" gas believed coming from its celestial meal millions of years ago.

Earth in Grave Danger With Comet Sun Shower

The meteor impacts with the exact time of the mass extinction over the past 260 million years ago. Researchers suggest that Earth could be in great peril as the sun's journey through the galaxy emits comet and sends them flying to neighbouring planets.

Brightest Galaxy Ever Discovered Could Contain 300 Trillion Suns

Scientists have discovered an ultra bright galaxy that while very far away at an estimated 12.5 billion light years, is still considered to be the most luminous galaxy every found in the universe and scientists believe it could contain more than 300 trillion suns.

Cause of Galactic Death: Strangulation

It's the ultimate whodunnit: what kills galaxies? A new study, published today in the journal Nature, names strangulation as the primary cause of galactic death.

Supernovae Dust ‘Goldmine’ Found at the Center of the Milky Way

One of the largest questions to date has been what building materials were present at the formation of our Milky Way galaxy? Astronomers have long theorized that the building material may have come from the death of supermassive stars, however, the galaxy-building dust is thought to burn up in a supernova like that. But now researchers are saying that may not be the case at all. In a new study published this week in the journal Science Express, researchers with Cornell University have made the first direct discovery of dust used to build the cosmos at the center of the Milky Way, and they believe it may have resulted from an ancient supernova.

Striking It Rich in Supernovae Dust at the Center of the Milky Way Galaxy

It’s a tough job sifting through the data and the haze of the center of the Milky Way galaxy, but some astronomers have to do it. The time-consuming job often means having to peer into the center with aid of multiple telescopes, all giving you a different perspective at a different wavelength. It can be job of countless hours, with little to no reward, but when researchers find even cosmic dust, their studies can strike it rich.

Is the Galaxy Bigger Than We Thought?

The Milky Way Galaxy is huge with our small solar system acting as just a grain of sand of the giant beach that is the galaxy. NASA previously estimated that the galaxy spans approximately 100,000 light years across. With each light year representing about 6 trillion miles, we are talking about an almost unimaginable distance. If you think that's large, new research now suggests that the Milky Way could be 50,000 light years larger than previously thought.

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