Astronomers have discovered stars within the Magellanic Stream, a river of hydrogen gas flowing from the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds to the Milky Way. Using the Magellan Baade Telescope and data from the Gaia space telescope, researchers identified 200 stars in the far reaches of the Milky Way that matched the chemical composition of the Magellanic Clouds. The discovery will provide insights into the evolution of the Magellanic Stream and its interaction with the Milky Way, as well as help estimate the mass distribution of the entire galaxy.
Astronomers have discovered stars within the Magellanic Stream, a river of hydrogen gas flowing from the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds to the Milky Way. Using the Magellan Baade Telescope and data from the Gaia space telescope, researchers identified 200 stars in the far reaches of our galaxy that matched the chemical composition of the Magellanic Clouds. The discovery will provide insights into the evolution of the dwarf galaxies and the distribution of matter in the Milky Way. The observations also suggest that the stream is falling into the Milky Way, and the increased mass of the stream indicates more gas is being consumed by our galaxy than previously thought.
Astronomers have discovered 13 stars within the Magellanic Stream, a vast ribbon of gas trailing behind the Magellanic Cloud galaxies, which are neighboring galaxies of the Milky Way. The discovery provides valuable insights into the distance, motion, and chemical makeup of the stream, extending its range from 150,000 to over 400,000 light-years away. This finding will enable researchers to map and model the Magellanic Stream in unprecedented detail, shedding light on the formation and interactions of the stream and the Magellanic Clouds with our galaxy.
