Astronomers Uncover Evidence of a Galaxy Merger 12 Billion Years Ago that Helped Shape the Young Milky Way

The Milky Way Started Eating Other Galaxies Billions of Years Earlier Than We Thought, New Study Says

Our galactic home, the Milky Way galaxy, was a hungry fella several eons ago. Scientists observing clusters of stars hanging out near the Milky Way’s center found evidence suggesting that our galaxy once collided with and devoured a smaller galaxy about 11.8 billion years ago. The findings, published in Nature Astronomy and detailed on NASA’s […] The post The Milky Way Started Eating Other Galaxies Billions of Years Earlier Than We Thought, New …

Astronomers uncover evidence of a galaxy merger 12 billion years ago that helped shape the young Milky Way

A fascinating discovery has emerged from astronomers: evidence of a galaxy merger that occurred within our Milky Way. This merger, which transpired around 12 billion years ago, involved a dwarf galaxy called LKH. By studying globular clusters, researchers uncovered essential details that point to increased star formation during the galaxy's formative years, deepening our insight into its complex evolutionary history.

Hubble solves merger mystery from Milky Way’s early years

Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, grew to its current size in part by consuming smaller galaxies. Now, new data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope shows definitive evidence of a dwarf galaxy merging with the young Milky Way galaxy in the earliest phases of its evolution. This finding extends our knowledge of our galaxy’s history 1.8 billion years farther back in time than before. The results were published in the journal Nature Astronomy. The Milk…