Using the Gaia telescope, American astronomers from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory were able to detect stars within a large cosmic structure known as the Magellanic Stream for the first time. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Astrophysical Journal (TAJ).
The Magellanic Stream is a belt of interstellar accumulations of neutral hydrogen that extends from the dwarf galaxies of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds to our Milky Way galaxy.
The discovery of these stars made it possible to determine the true distance of the Magellanic Stream, which showed that it extends from 150 thousand to 400 thousand light years from our planet.
Analysis of the chemical content of the detected stars confirmed the astronomers’ conclusions, since their composition corresponded to the elemental cluster of the Magellanic Clouds.
According to astronomers, their discovery will allow us to better understand star formation processes in the Milky Way, since the Magellanic Stream not only comes into contact with our galaxy, but also serves as the main source of neutral gas for the birth of new stars. stars.
“The Magellanic Stream remains the main source of stellar calories for the Milky Way. It serves our galaxy with breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” explained study co-author Ana Bonaca.
Scientists aim to more accurately estimate the mass of the Milky Way with the help of new information.
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