"Surprising Discovery: Milky Way Weighs Only a Fifth of Previous Estimates"

New research using data from the Gaia telescope suggests that the Milky Way may be only a fifth as heavy as previously thought, indicating a potential absence of dark matter. The estimated total mass of our galaxy is around 200 billion times that of the sun, significantly lower than previous estimates. The study also found that the Milky Way's rotation curve is different from other large spiral galaxies, with stars orbiting slower than expected, suggesting a lack of gravitational pull from dark matter. This discovery challenges previous studies and could impact our understanding of the galaxy's history and collisions with other galaxies.