The Lost Brother of the Milky Way | Space

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On this photo of the Andromeda galaxy, the small M32 satellite galaxy is to the left of the center. This little galaxy can be all that remains of a once massive galaxy that has been canibalised by the Andromeda galaxy. Photo by Flickr user Torben Hansen

Astronomers from the University of Michigan (UM) announced today (July 23, 2018) that the Andromeda galaxy – the most Great spiral galaxy of our Milky Way – shredded and cannibalized another massive galaxy two billion years since. The galaxy no longer exists as the great spiral structure that it once was, but a remnant of it could still exist in the form of an Andromeda satellite, called M32. These astronomers have called the progenitor galaxy a long lost brother to our Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy. Her destruction left behind a rich trail of evidence, according to these scientists, including M32 himself, plus an almost invisible halo of stars larger than the Andromeda galaxy. UM scientists said:

Discovering and studying this decimated galaxy will help astronomers understand how disk-shaped galaxies like the Milky Way evolve and survive large fusions

billions of years ago the disturbed galaxy M32p was the third largest member of our local group of galaxies. They said that it started at least 20 times larger than any galaxy that merged with our Milky Way during its lifetime. Today, the local group contains two large spirals (the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxies – with a third smaller spiral called the Triangulum galaxy and dozens of much smaller dwarf galaxies.) But once , these scientists believe, another great spiral Local Group

Artist illustration of our local group through the Observatory Chandra X.

Using templates Computer scientists, astronomers Richard D & Souza and Eric Bell of the University of Michigan were able to gather what they said to be evidence. The Scientific Journal Nature Astronomy Releases Their Discoveries

An Announcement from These UM Astronomers Says:

Scientists have long known that the great halo of stars surrounding galaxies is almost invisible . contains the remains of smaller cannibalized galaxies A galaxy like Andromeda must have consumed hundreds of its smallest companions Researchers thought this would make it difficult Using new computer simulations, scientists were able to understand that even though many companion galaxies were consumed by Andromeda, most stars in the weak Andromeda halo were most often created by shredding. A single large galaxy

The main author of Souza said:

It was a moment "eureka". We realized that we could use this information from Andromeda's outer stellar halo to infer the properties of the largest of these shredded galaxies.

Co-author Bell commented:

Astronomers study the local group – the Milky Way, Andromeda and their companions – for so long. It was shocking to realize that the Milky Way had a big brother, and we never knew it.

They also said that the formation of the enigmatic Andromeda satellite M32 satellite was:

… a long-standing mystery. They suggest that the compact and dense M32 is the surviving center of the lost brother of the Milky Way, as the indestructible pit of a plum.

Bell said:

M32 is a crazy guy. While it looks like a compact example of an old elliptical galaxy, it actually has a lot of young stars. It is one of the most compact galaxies in the universe.

Astronomers have said that their study could alter the traditional understanding of the evolution of galaxies.

Learn more about this UM study

The process of shredding the large M32p galaxy by the Andromeda galaxy that eventually resulted in M32 and a giant halo of stars . Image by Richard D 'Souza / Wei-Hao Wang / AAS / IOP / University of Michigan

Conclusion: Two billion years ago, the Andromeda galaxy – the largest spiral galaxy of our Milky Way – could have eaten another great galaxy. Today, the remains of this cannibalized galaxy could exist under the name of M32, which we consider to be a small satellite galaxy of Andromeda

Source: The most important fusion of the galaxy 's. Andromeda about 2 billion years ago