Gaia discovers our galaxy's great wave
19 hours ago
- #Gaia telescope
- #Galactic wave
- #Milky Way
- The Milky Way galaxy exhibits a giant wave rippling outward from its center, discovered using data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia space telescope.
- This wave affects stars tens of thousands of light-years from the Sun, spanning a large portion of the Milky Way’s outer disc.
- The wave's behavior is consistent with wave-like motions, similar to a stadium wave, with stars showing vertical movements that align with the wave pattern.
- Young giant stars and Cepheid stars, which vary predictably in brightness, helped scientists track this motion, suggesting gas in the disc might also participate in the ripple.
- The origin of the wave is unknown, but past collisions with dwarf galaxies or connections to smaller-scale ripples like the Radcliffe Wave are possible explanations.
- Future data releases from Gaia will provide better positions and motions of stars, aiding in further research and understanding of these galactic features.