Milky Way Milky Way

A new three-dimensional map revealed that the galaxy of the Milky Way was cylindrical, twisted and not flat as previously known, according to a study published Monday in the scientific journal Nature Astronomy.

According to the study, the shape of the galaxy is twisted on the edges where the effect of gravity is weakened, taking the form of the letter "S".

Scientists from Australia and China designed the map of the galaxy by measuring distances between more than 1300 large pulsating stars that together reveal the true shape of the Milky Way.

Stars, known as "classical kevaic variation," radiate more than 100,000 times from the sun and distances can be measured up to 95%.

Astronomers at Sydney's Macquarie University, co-author of the Richard De Grace study, said the stars showed how the Milky Way was progressively wrapping around the outer edges, with the effect of the massive rotation of its huge internal disk.