"The Milky Way galaxy is like a gigantic ocean gyre or eddy that spins and wobbles around its center. But our home galaxy also has a colossal wave rippling through it, pulling and pushing an ocean of stars and cosmic dust in its wake, according to newly released images from the European Space Agency's Gaia space telescope. The images show that this wave of motion emanates from the center of the Milky Way and takes up a large portion"
"The scientists detected this pattern after analyzing the position and velocity of more than 20,000 young stars and saw that these glittering bodies "exhibit both radial and vertical systematic motions," reads the study. They are caught in a wave of motion that spans 30 to 65 thousand light years of spacetime real estate, while rippling away from the Milky Way's nucleus."
Images from ESA's Gaia space telescope reveal a colossal wave sweeping through the Milky Way, pulling and pushing stars and cosmic dust. The wave emanates from the galaxy's center and occupies nearly half of the galactic body while the outer disc shows a warp. Viewed side-on, many stars sit above or below the dusty disc, resembling fish bobbing in a boat wake. Analysis of positions and velocities for more than 20,000 young stars shows systematic radial and vertical motions. The wave spans roughly 30,000 to 65,000 light years and ripples outward from the nucleus. A past encounter with a dwarf galaxy may have produced this pattern. Gaia ceased operations earlier this year, and further analysis of its data may reveal additional discoveries.
Read at Futurism
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