The galaxy of the Milky Way ate one of its neighbors 10 billion years ago

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – The Milky Way galaxy has consumed a nearby galaxy 10 billion years ago, and remains of global food still surround the belly of the Milky Way, according to a new study by scientists from the European Space Agency.

According to the site, "Smith Sunian" recently discovered this event after the researchers examined the data collected by the telescope "Gaya" of the European Space Agency.

The researchers analyzed about 33,000 stars in orbit around the galaxy, but not in the center of the galaxy, but in the opposite direction to the rest of the galaxy, whose elements were different from other stars in the Milky Way.

"It was the first signal," says Amina Helmi, astronomer at the University of Groningen. "The movement of stars opposite to the rest of the galaxy shows that these stars did not form in the Milky Way, but elsewhere."

"Gaia-Slorbed", name that scientists gave to the galaxy, and its size adjusts that of the Milky Way 1/4.

The researchers performed a computer simulation of the rotation of these stars 10 billion years ago, where a small galaxy formed around the Milky Way and was eventually swallowed by the latter.

Kathryn Johnston, Columbia University space scientist, said on the site: "Gaia-Slorbed is not the only galaxy followed by the Milky Way".

According to the same source, the Milky Way is always hungry and two small gaseous galaxies, called Magellan and Magellan, revolve around it.

Scientists expect these galaxies to meet the same fate as Gaia-Slorbed.