The Milky Way galaxy is pretty chill. Compared to some of the galaxies that astronomers have observed, our home galaxy is relatively calm, for lack of a better term. Its not slamming into another galaxy or chewing through blobs of dust and gas. Its just kind of hanging out and doing its thing or at least thats the case right now. In the past, however, researchers now have evidence that the Milky Way was a bit of a bully.
As a new study in Nature explains, a whole bunch of ancient stars was just discovered hanging out at the fringe of our galaxy, and scientists believe its the leftover remains of a collection of stars that was shredded by the Milky Way a long, long time ago.
This isnt the first time a collection of stars has been discovered orbiting our galaxy. In fact, researchers know of well over 100 such clusters, but what makes this one particularly interesting is the age of the stars themselves. Based on their observations, the researchers believe that the stars are ancient and that our galaxy tore their original structure apart over two billion years ago.
Once we knew which stars belonged to the stream, we measured their abundance of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium; something astronomers refer to as metallicity, Zhen Wan, lead author of the study, said in a statement. We were really surprised to find that the Phoenix Stream has a very low metallicity, making it distinctly different to all of the other globular clusters in the Galaxy.
This low metallicity suggests the stars are incredibly old, since the earliest stars had only hydrogen and helium with which to form. Metals came later, so the amount of metal in a star can be used to age it. Based on this, the researchers believe they are the last of their kind, at least in this particular cosmic neighborhood.
We can trace the lineage of stars by measuring the different types of chemical elements we detect in them, much like we can trace a persons connection to their ancestors through their DNA, Dr. Kyler Kuehn of Lowell Observatory explains. The most interesting thing about the remains of this cluster is that its stars have much lower abundance of these elements than any others we have seen. Its almost like finding someone with DNA that doesnt match any other person, living or dead. That leads to some very interesting questions about the clusters history that were missing.
Mike Wehner has reported on technology and video games for the past decade, covering breaking news and trends in VR, wearables, smartphones, and future tech. Most recently, Mike served as Tech Editor at The Daily Dot, and has been featured in USA Today, Time.com, and countless other web and print outlets. His love ofreporting is second only to his gaming addiction.
Go here to see the original:
Astronomers found a bunch of ancient stars displaced by our galaxy - BGR
- I Spy With My Little Eye… [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- A Crack Opens in the Ethiopian Landscape, Preparing the Way for a New Sea | 80beats [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Politics of Addiction | The Intersection [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Finally! An iPhone App That Lets You Track Your Bathroom Habits | Discoblog [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Don’t Pack Your Bags Yet—New Planet-Finder Hobbled by Electronic Glitch | 80beats [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- In Controversial Scent Lineups, a Dog’s Nose Picks Out the Perp | 80beats [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Are You a Cognitive Miser? | Cosmic Variance [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Secret Lives and Loves of Great White Sharks | 80beats [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Britain’s New Protected Minority: Tree-Huggers | Discoblog [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Inspired by Maple Seeds, a Robotic Whirligig Takes To The Skies | Discoblog [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- New Statesman on Accommodationism | The Intersection [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Laser-Powered Robot Climbs to Victory in the Space-Elevator Contest | 80beats [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Checking Back In With SEAPLEX | The Intersection [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Podcast: An Embarrassment of Genomes | The Loom [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- A Baby Neutron Star, Swaddled in a Carbon Atmosphere | 80beats [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Butterfliiiies… iiinnnn… SPPPAAAAACCCCEEEEE! | Bad Astronomy [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- My Slate Dialogue with Michael Specter Begins | The Intersection [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Musical, Fahrvergnügen-Inspired Staircase Makes Commuters Less Lazy | Discoblog [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Laser-Etched Fruit Is an Answer in Search of a Problem | Discoblog [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Ares and the carnivals | Bad Astronomy [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Toddler Gets a Telescoping, Prosthetic Arm Bone That Grows With Him | 80beats [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Neutered HIV Virus Delivers Treatment to Fatally Ill Boys | 80beats [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Specter’s First Reply: Denialism Kills People | The Intersection [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- LRO sees a Moonslide | Bad Astronomy [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Al Gore’s New Book: A Focus on Solutions | The Intersection [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Universe Has Us in Its Crosshairs | Bad Astronomy [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Makers of Universes | Cosmic Variance [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Can Your Pet Catch & Spread Swine Flu? Yes, If Your Pet’s a Ferret | 80beats [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Droid 2.0 Vs iPhone | The Intersection [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Tangled Bank News: An Excerpt and More | The Loom [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- LHC Shut Down By Wayward Baguette, Dropped by Bird Saboteur | Discoblog [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Careidolia | Bad Astronomy [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Slate Reply to Specter Up–We Need a National Dialogue on Synthetic Biology | The Intersection [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Pray this doesn’t get passed | Bad Astronomy [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- You Can’t Make This Stuff Up | Cosmic Variance [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Mother Tongue, Indeed: Newborn’s Cries Mimic Mama’s Accent | 80beats [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Ripped From the Journals: The Biggest Discoveries of the Week | 80beats [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Alternative Landscapes | The Loom [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Can an iPhone App Decipher Your Baby’s Cries? | Discoblog [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Reminder: Carl Sagan Day | Bad Astronomy [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Are There Pesticides in Your Soup? Dunk a Pollution Dipstick to Find Out. | 80beats [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Log in and Join the Conference [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Conference Ends [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Conference Archive Opens [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Galaxy Zoo [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- .Astronomy 2009 Dates [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- .Astronomy 2009: Programme and venue details [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- .Astronomy Gets Some IYA Love [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- 2009 Posters and Imagery [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- 2009 Sponsors [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- When in Holland… [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The WHAT Cloud? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Jewel Box [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Happy Halloween! [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Ares 1-X Launch [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Confessions of an Alien Hunter [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- LRO Spies Apollo 17 Site [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Mercury in Color [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Hubble and M83 [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Cassini Flyby of Enceladus [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Preserving A Moth [Science Tattoo] | The Loom [Last Updated On: December 12th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 12th, 2009]
- Another Russian rocket spiral lights up the sky | Bad Astronomy [Last Updated On: December 12th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 12th, 2009]
- A (Very Gentle) Riddle to Complete Your Saturday [Last Updated On: December 12th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 12th, 2009]
- Darwin Gets Swine Flu: The YouTube Edition | The Loom [Last Updated On: December 12th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 12th, 2009]
- Happy Slothy Holidays | The Loom [Last Updated On: December 12th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 12th, 2009]
- Jetting to Copenhagen | The Intersection [Last Updated On: December 12th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 12th, 2009]
- Michael Gerson Attempts Thoughtfulness on “ClimateGate,” Then Gives it Up | The Intersection [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Incredible VISTA of the cosmos | Bad Astronomy [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Bundle up Sunday Night to Watch the Geminid Meteor Shower | 80beats [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- “ClimateGate” a PR Disaster That Will Be “Taught in University Communications Courses” | The Intersection [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Is Google the Guardian Angel of Rainforests? | 80beats [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- La ciencia es importante. Una vez mas. | Bad Astronomy [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Sensenbrenner Pulls an Inhofe, Asserts Global Warming is an “International Conspiracy” | The Intersection [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Let Kids Eat Dirt: Over-Cleanliness Linked to Heart Disease | 80beats [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- What Are The Best Science Papers Of The Past Decade? | The Intersection [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Finally! Math Shows How to Cut Evenly Sized Pizza Slices | Discoblog [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Half-baked math | Bad Astronomy [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Can “Biological Passports” Save Sports From Doping? | 80beats [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Aiiiieeee! Slow down! | Bad Astronomy [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]
- Weekly News Roundup: Bad Headlines, Martian moons, and Rotating Houses | Discoblog [Last Updated On: December 13th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 13th, 2009]