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| Spiral Galaxy |
Hindustan Times, London,UC Irvine astronomers have shown how the Milky Way galaxy got its spectacular spiral arms. According to telescope data and detailed simulations, the arms are likely the result of two-billion-year-old collisions between the Milky Way and a dwarf galaxy called Sagittarius. As the galaxies collide, the force of the impact sends stars streaming from both in long loops. Those continue to swell with stars and are gradually tugged outward by the Milky Way’s rotation into a familiar ringed arm. It’s the weighty dark matter from Sagittarius that provided the initial push, the researchers said. “It’s kind of like putting a fist into a bathtub of water as opposed to your little finger,” said James Bullock, a theoretical cosmologist who studies galaxy formation. Read Full: Why the Milky Way is spiral - Hindustan Times
