Detecting New Icy Molecules Around a Newly Forming Star with JWST Astrobites reports on the detection of complex molecules around a protostar in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The post Detecting New I...

#Astrobites #Highlights #astrochemistry #JWST #Magellanic […]

[Original post on aasnova.org]

Detecting New Icy Molecules Around a Newly Forming Star with JWST Astrobites reports on the detection of complex molecules around a protostar in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The post Detecting New I...

#Astrobites #Highlights #astrochemistry #JWST #Magellanic […]

[Original post on aasnova.org]

Original post on behindtheblack.com

Modeling says the Small Magellanic Cloud passed through the Large Magellanic Cloud 200 million years ago Click for original graphic. According to new computer modeling, some astronomers now believe...

#Points #of #Information #astronomy #exploration […]

[Original post on behindtheblack.com]

James Webb Space Telescope Discovers Complex ‘Seeds of Life’ Molecules Beyond the Milky Way For the First Time Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope have spotted "seeds of life...

#Astronomy #Breaking #News #Space #complex #organic #molecules #COMs […]

[Original post on thedebrief.org]

Awakari App

Astronomers Just Found the Most Pristine Star Ever and That’s a Huge Deal A newly found star may carry the chemical fingerprint of the universe’s first stars.

#Astronomy #Astrophysics #News #Space #cosmos #large #magellanic #cloud #milky #way #stars

Origin | Interest | Match

Original post on sci.news

Hubble Finds Cloudy Star Cluster in Large Magellanic Cloud A striking new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows a star cluster called N11, which is part of the Large Magellanic Cloud...

#Astronomy #Dwarf #galaxy #ESA #Galaxy #Hubble #Large […]

[Original post on sci.news]

Original post on sci.news

Hubble Finds Cloudy Star Cluster in Large Magellanic Cloud A striking new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows a star cluster called N11, which is part of the Large Magellanic Cloud...

#Astronomy #Dwarf #galaxy #ESA #Galaxy #Hubble #Large […]

[Original post on sci.news]

Original post on sci.news

Hubble Sees Dusty Clouds in Tarantula Nebula A striking new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows incredible details in the Tarantula Nebula, a turbulent star-birth region located in...

#Astronomy #30 #Doradus #ESA #Hubble #Large #Magellanic #Cloud […]

[Original post on sci.news]

Original post on sci.news

Hubble Sees Dusty Clouds in Tarantula Nebula A striking new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows incredible details in the Tarantula Nebula, a turbulent star-birth region located in...

#Astronomy #30 #Doradus #ESA #Hubble #Large #Magellanic #Cloud […]

[Original post on sci.news]

Original post on sci.news

Hubble Space Telescope Captures Stunning Shot of Ancient Globular Cluster A new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope features NGC 1786, a globular cluster located in the constellation of ...

#Astronomy #ESA #Globular #cluster #Hubble #Large #Magellanic […]

[Original post on sci.news]

Original post on sci.news

Hubble Space Telescope Captures Stunning Shot of Ancient Globular Cluster A new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope features NGC 1786, a globular cluster located in the constellation of ...

#Astronomy #ESA #Globular #cluster #Hubble #Large #Magellanic […]

[Original post on sci.news]

Original post on scitechdaily.com

Cotton Candy Clouds: Hubble Captures a Dwarf Galaxy in Stunning Detail Hubble’s image of the La...

scitechdaily.com/cotton-candy-clouds-hubb...

#Space #Astronomy #European #Space #Agency #Hubble #Space […]

[Original post on scitechdaily.com]

**Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have taken a stunning image of a spectacular part of a nebula located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, the largest of the Milky Way’s many small satellite galaxies.** This Hubble image shows a portion of a colorful nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy located 160,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellations of Dorado and Mensa. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / C. Murray. This new image was made from separate exposures taken in the ultraviolet, visible and infrared regions of the spectrum with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). “This view of dusty gas clouds in the Large Magellanic Cloud is possible thanks to Hubble’s cameras, such as the WFC3 instrument that was used to collect the observations for the image,” the Hubble astronomers said in a statement. “WFC3 is equipped with a variety of filters, each of which lets through only specific wavelengths, or colors, of light.” “This image combines observations made with five different filters, including some that capture ultraviolet and infrared light that the human eye cannot see.” “The wispy gas clouds in this image resemble brightly colored candyfloss,” the researchers said. “When viewing such a vividly colored cosmic scene, it is natural to wonder whether the colors are real.” “After all, Hubble, with its 2.4-m-wide mirror and advanced scientific instruments, doesn’t bear resemblance to a typical camera!” “When image-processing specialists combine raw filtered data into a multi-colored image like this one, they assign a color to each filter.” “Visible-light observations are typically matched to the color that the filter allows through.” “Shorter wavelengths of light such as ultraviolet are usually colored blue or purple, while longer wavelengths like infrared are typically colored red.” “This color scheme closely represents reality while adding new information from the portions of the electromagnetic spectrum that humans cannot see.” “However, there are endless possible color combinations that can be employed to achieve an especially aesthetically pleasing or scientifically insightful image.”

Hubble Captures Colorful Nebula in Large Magellanic Cloud Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble S...

www.sci.news/astronomy/hubble-colorfu...

#Astronomy #Dwarf #galaxy #ESA #Galaxy #Hubble #IR #Large #Magellanic #Cloud #NASA

Result Details

**Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have taken a stunning image of a spectacular part of a nebula located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, the largest of the Milky Way’s many small satellite galaxies.** This Hubble image shows a portion of a colorful nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy located 160,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellations of Dorado and Mensa. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / C. Murray. This new image was made from separate exposures taken in the ultraviolet, visible and infrared regions of the spectrum with Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). “This view of dusty gas clouds in the Large Magellanic Cloud is possible thanks to Hubble’s cameras, such as the WFC3 instrument that was used to collect the observations for the image,” the Hubble astronomers said in a statement. “WFC3 is equipped with a variety of filters, each of which lets through only specific wavelengths, or colors, of light.” “This image combines observations made with five different filters, including some that capture ultraviolet and infrared light that the human eye cannot see.” “The wispy gas clouds in this image resemble brightly colored candyfloss,” the researchers said. “When viewing such a vividly colored cosmic scene, it is natural to wonder whether the colors are real.” “After all, Hubble, with its 2.4-m-wide mirror and advanced scientific instruments, doesn’t bear resemblance to a typical camera!” “When image-processing specialists combine raw filtered data into a multi-colored image like this one, they assign a color to each filter.” “Visible-light observations are typically matched to the color that the filter allows through.” “Shorter wavelengths of light such as ultraviolet are usually colored blue or purple, while longer wavelengths like infrared are typically colored red.” “This color scheme closely represents reality while adding new information from the portions of the electromagnetic spectrum that humans cannot see.” “However, there are endless possible color combinations that can be employed to achieve an especially aesthetically pleasing or scientifically insightful image.”

Hubble Captures Colorful Nebula in Large Magellanic Cloud Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble S...

www.sci.news/astronomy/hubble-colorfu...

#Astronomy #Dwarf #galaxy #ESA #Galaxy #Hubble #IR #Large #Magellanic #Cloud #NASA

Result Details

Astronomy & Space Science Education & Public Outreach Newsletter – Apr. 2025, Part 2 Dr...

www.vaticanobservatory.org/sacred-space-astronomy/a...

#Sacred #Space […]

[Original post on vaticanobservatory.org]

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart April 11, 2025 ### Imma Perfetto Cosmos science journalist By Imma Perfetto Velocities of massive star candidates within the SMC shown as vectors. The colors of the arrows represent the direction of motion. Relative to the LMC, located at the bottom left of the image, most red arrows show movement towards the LMC, whereas most light blue arrows show movement away from the LMC, suggesting they are being pulled apart. Credit: Satoya Nakano Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Way, are often orbited by smaller satellite galaxies that buzz about like bees around a hive. The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and its larger companion, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), are some of our closest dwarf galaxies. They can even be seen with the naked eye in the southern hemisphere at night. But new research from Japan suggests that the gravitational pull of the LMC might be tearing the smaller one apart. “When we first got this result, we suspected that there might be an error in our method of analysis,” says Associate Professor Kengo Tachihara, who co-led the research at Nagoya University. Tachihara and his team used data collected by the Gaia space telescope to track the movement of more than 7,000 massive stars in the SMC. These stars, which are more than 8 times the size of our Sun, typically only live for a few million years before exploding as supernovae. “The stars in the SMC were moving in opposite directions on either side of the galaxy, as though they are being pulled apart,” says Tachihara. Read More * Space ### Gaia: the best space telescope you never heard of just shut down “Some of these stars are approaching the LMC, while others are moving away from it, suggesting the gravitational influence of the larger galaxy. “This unexpected movement supports the hypothesis that the SMC is being disrupted by the LMC, leading to its gradual destruction.” As these massive stars are so young, they are found in regions of space rich in a crucial component of star formation – hydrogen gas. Typically, they move together with the gas from which they formed, as they have not yet had time to decouple from its motion. As we are unable to get a bird’s-eye view of the galaxy in which we live, Tachihara adds, the SMC and the LMC are the only galaxies in which we can observe the details of stellar motion. But the study revealed an unexpected finding; the massive stars in the SMC do not follow a rotational pattern, which indicates that the interstellar gas itself also does not rotate. “If the SMC is indeed not rotating, previous estimates of its mass and its interaction history with the Milky Way and LMC might need to be revised,” says co-lead researcher, Satoya Nakano. “This could potentially change our understanding of the history of the 3-body interaction between the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way.” The research is published in a paper in _The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series_. Originally published by Cosmos as Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart * *

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Wa...

cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/magellan...

#Astronomy #News #Space #European #Space #Agency’s #Gaia #space #observatory #Large #Magellanic

Event Attributes

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart April 11, 2025 ### Imma Perfetto Cosmos science journalist By Imma Perfetto Velocities of massive star candidates within the SMC shown as vectors. The colors of the arrows represent the direction of motion. Relative to the LMC, located at the bottom left of the image, most red arrows show movement towards the LMC, whereas most light blue arrows show movement away from the LMC, suggesting they are being pulled apart. Credit: Satoya Nakano Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Way, are often orbited by smaller satellite galaxies that buzz about like bees around a hive. The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and its larger companion, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), are some of our closest dwarf galaxies. They can even be seen with the naked eye in the southern hemisphere at night. But new research from Japan suggests that the gravitational pull of the LMC might be tearing the smaller one apart. “When we first got this result, we suspected that there might be an error in our method of analysis,” says Associate Professor Kengo Tachihara, who co-led the research at Nagoya University. Tachihara and his team used data collected by the Gaia space telescope to track the movement of more than 7,000 massive stars in the SMC. These stars, which are more than 8 times the size of our Sun, typically only live for a few million years before exploding as supernovae. “The stars in the SMC were moving in opposite directions on either side of the galaxy, as though they are being pulled apart,” says Tachihara. Read More * Space ### Gaia: the best space telescope you never heard of just shut down “Some of these stars are approaching the LMC, while others are moving away from it, suggesting the gravitational influence of the larger galaxy. “This unexpected movement supports the hypothesis that the SMC is being disrupted by the LMC, leading to its gradual destruction.” As these massive stars are so young, they are found in regions of space rich in a crucial component of star formation – hydrogen gas. Typically, they move together with the gas from which they formed, as they have not yet had time to decouple from its motion. As we are unable to get a bird’s-eye view of the galaxy in which we live, Tachihara adds, the SMC and the LMC are the only galaxies in which we can observe the details of stellar motion. But the study revealed an unexpected finding; the massive stars in the SMC do not follow a rotational pattern, which indicates that the interstellar gas itself also does not rotate. “If the SMC is indeed not rotating, previous estimates of its mass and its interaction history with the Milky Way and LMC might need to be revised,” says co-lead researcher, Satoya Nakano. “This could potentially change our understanding of the history of the 3-body interaction between the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way.” The research is published in a paper in _The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series_. Originally published by Cosmos as Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart * *

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Wa...

cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/magellan...

#Astronomy #News #Space #European #Space #Agency’s #Gaia #space #observatory #Large #Magellanic

Event Attributes

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart April 11, 2025 ### Imma Perfetto Cosmos science journalist By Imma Perfetto Velocities of massive star candidates within the SMC shown as vectors. The colors of the arrows represent the direction of motion. Relative to the LMC, located at the bottom left of the image, most red arrows show movement towards the LMC, whereas most light blue arrows show movement away from the LMC, suggesting they are being pulled apart. Credit: Satoya Nakano Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Way, are often orbited by smaller satellite galaxies that buzz about like bees around a hive. The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and its larger companion, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), are some of our closest dwarf galaxies. They can even be seen with the naked eye in the southern hemisphere at night. But new research from Japan suggests that the gravitational pull of the LMC might be tearing the smaller one apart. “When we first got this result, we suspected that there might be an error in our method of analysis,” says Associate Professor Kengo Tachihara, who co-led the research at Nagoya University. Tachihara and his team used data collected by the Gaia space telescope to track the movement of more than 7,000 massive stars in the SMC. These stars, which are more than 8 times the size of our Sun, typically only live for a few million years before exploding as supernovae. “The stars in the SMC were moving in opposite directions on either side of the galaxy, as though they are being pulled apart,” says Tachihara. Read More * Space ### Gaia: the best space telescope you never heard of just shut down “Some of these stars are approaching the LMC, while others are moving away from it, suggesting the gravitational influence of the larger galaxy. “This unexpected movement supports the hypothesis that the SMC is being disrupted by the LMC, leading to its gradual destruction.” As these massive stars are so young, they are found in regions of space rich in a crucial component of star formation – hydrogen gas. Typically, they move together with the gas from which they formed, as they have not yet had time to decouple from its motion. As we are unable to get a bird’s-eye view of the galaxy in which we live, Tachihara adds, the SMC and the LMC are the only galaxies in which we can observe the details of stellar motion. But the study revealed an unexpected finding; the massive stars in the SMC do not follow a rotational pattern, which indicates that the interstellar gas itself also does not rotate. “If the SMC is indeed not rotating, previous estimates of its mass and its interaction history with the Milky Way and LMC might need to be revised,” says co-lead researcher, Satoya Nakano. “This could potentially change our understanding of the history of the 3-body interaction between the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way.” The research is published in a paper in _The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series_. Originally published by Cosmos as Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart * *

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Wa...

cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/magellan...

#Astronomy #News #Space #European #Space #Agency’s #Gaia #space #observatory #Large #Magellanic

Event Attributes

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart April 11, 2025 ### Imma Perfetto Cosmos science journalist By Imma Perfetto Velocities of massive star candidates within the SMC shown as vectors. The colors of the arrows represent the direction of motion. Relative to the LMC, located at the bottom left of the image, most red arrows show movement towards the LMC, whereas most light blue arrows show movement away from the LMC, suggesting they are being pulled apart. Credit: Satoya Nakano Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Way, are often orbited by smaller satellite galaxies that buzz about like bees around a hive. The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and its larger companion, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), are some of our closest dwarf galaxies. They can even be seen with the naked eye in the southern hemisphere at night. But new research from Japan suggests that the gravitational pull of the LMC might be tearing the smaller one apart. “When we first got this result, we suspected that there might be an error in our method of analysis,” says Associate Professor Kengo Tachihara, who co-led the research at Nagoya University. Tachihara and his team used data collected by the Gaia space telescope to track the movement of more than 7,000 massive stars in the SMC. These stars, which are more than 8 times the size of our Sun, typically only live for a few million years before exploding as supernovae. “The stars in the SMC were moving in opposite directions on either side of the galaxy, as though they are being pulled apart,” says Tachihara. Read More * Space ### Gaia: the best space telescope you never heard of just shut down “Some of these stars are approaching the LMC, while others are moving away from it, suggesting the gravitational influence of the larger galaxy. “This unexpected movement supports the hypothesis that the SMC is being disrupted by the LMC, leading to its gradual destruction.” As these massive stars are so young, they are found in regions of space rich in a crucial component of star formation – hydrogen gas. Typically, they move together with the gas from which they formed, as they have not yet had time to decouple from its motion. As we are unable to get a bird’s-eye view of the galaxy in which we live, Tachihara adds, the SMC and the LMC are the only galaxies in which we can observe the details of stellar motion. But the study revealed an unexpected finding; the massive stars in the SMC do not follow a rotational pattern, which indicates that the interstellar gas itself also does not rotate. “If the SMC is indeed not rotating, previous estimates of its mass and its interaction history with the Milky Way and LMC might need to be revised,” says co-lead researcher, Satoya Nakano. “This could potentially change our understanding of the history of the 3-body interaction between the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way.” The research is published in a paper in _The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series_. Originally published by Cosmos as Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart * *

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Wa...

cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/magellan...

#Astronomy #News #Space #European #Space #Agency’s #Gaia #space #observatory #Large #Magellanic

Event Attributes

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart April 11, 2025 ### Imma Perfetto Cosmos science journalist By Imma Perfetto Velocities of massive star candidates within the SMC shown as vectors. The colors of the arrows represent the direction of motion. Relative to the LMC, located at the bottom left of the image, most red arrows show movement towards the LMC, whereas most light blue arrows show movement away from the LMC, suggesting they are being pulled apart. Credit: Satoya Nakano Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Way, are often orbited by smaller satellite galaxies that buzz about like bees around a hive. The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and its larger companion, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), are some of our closest dwarf galaxies. They can even be seen with the naked eye in the southern hemisphere at night. But new research from Japan suggests that the gravitational pull of the LMC might be tearing the smaller one apart. “When we first got this result, we suspected that there might be an error in our method of analysis,” says Associate Professor Kengo Tachihara, who co-led the research at Nagoya University. Tachihara and his team used data collected by the Gaia space telescope to track the movement of more than 7,000 massive stars in the SMC. These stars, which are more than 8 times the size of our Sun, typically only live for a few million years before exploding as supernovae. “The stars in the SMC were moving in opposite directions on either side of the galaxy, as though they are being pulled apart,” says Tachihara. Read More * Space ### Gaia: the best space telescope you never heard of just shut down “Some of these stars are approaching the LMC, while others are moving away from it, suggesting the gravitational influence of the larger galaxy. “This unexpected movement supports the hypothesis that the SMC is being disrupted by the LMC, leading to its gradual destruction.” As these massive stars are so young, they are found in regions of space rich in a crucial component of star formation – hydrogen gas. Typically, they move together with the gas from which they formed, as they have not yet had time to decouple from its motion. As we are unable to get a bird’s-eye view of the galaxy in which we live, Tachihara adds, the SMC and the LMC are the only galaxies in which we can observe the details of stellar motion. But the study revealed an unexpected finding; the massive stars in the SMC do not follow a rotational pattern, which indicates that the interstellar gas itself also does not rotate. “If the SMC is indeed not rotating, previous estimates of its mass and its interaction history with the Milky Way and LMC might need to be revised,” says co-lead researcher, Satoya Nakano. “This could potentially change our understanding of the history of the 3-body interaction between the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way.” The research is published in a paper in _The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series_. Originally published by Cosmos as Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart * *

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Wa...

cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/magellan...

#Astronomy #News #Space #European #Space #Agency’s #Gaia #space #observatory #Large #Magellanic

Event Attributes

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart April 11, 2025 ### Imma Perfetto Cosmos science journalist By Imma Perfetto Velocities of massive star candidates within the SMC shown as vectors. The colors of the arrows represent the direction of motion. Relative to the LMC, located at the bottom left of the image, most red arrows show movement towards the LMC, whereas most light blue arrows show movement away from the LMC, suggesting they are being pulled apart. Credit: Satoya Nakano Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Way, are often orbited by smaller satellite galaxies that buzz about like bees around a hive. The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and its larger companion, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), are some of our closest dwarf galaxies. They can even be seen with the naked eye in the southern hemisphere at night. But new research from Japan suggests that the gravitational pull of the LMC might be tearing the smaller one apart. “When we first got this result, we suspected that there might be an error in our method of analysis,” says Associate Professor Kengo Tachihara, who co-led the research at Nagoya University. Tachihara and his team used data collected by the Gaia space telescope to track the movement of more than 7,000 massive stars in the SMC. These stars, which are more than 8 times the size of our Sun, typically only live for a few million years before exploding as supernovae. “The stars in the SMC were moving in opposite directions on either side of the galaxy, as though they are being pulled apart,” says Tachihara. Read More * Space ### Gaia: the best space telescope you never heard of just shut down “Some of these stars are approaching the LMC, while others are moving away from it, suggesting the gravitational influence of the larger galaxy. “This unexpected movement supports the hypothesis that the SMC is being disrupted by the LMC, leading to its gradual destruction.” As these massive stars are so young, they are found in regions of space rich in a crucial component of star formation – hydrogen gas. Typically, they move together with the gas from which they formed, as they have not yet had time to decouple from its motion. As we are unable to get a bird’s-eye view of the galaxy in which we live, Tachihara adds, the SMC and the LMC are the only galaxies in which we can observe the details of stellar motion. But the study revealed an unexpected finding; the massive stars in the SMC do not follow a rotational pattern, which indicates that the interstellar gas itself also does not rotate. “If the SMC is indeed not rotating, previous estimates of its mass and its interaction history with the Milky Way and LMC might need to be revised,” says co-lead researcher, Satoya Nakano. “This could potentially change our understanding of the history of the 3-body interaction between the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way.” The research is published in a paper in _The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series_. Originally published by Cosmos as Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart * *

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Wa...

cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/magellan...

#Astronomy #News #Space #European #Space #Agency’s #Gaia #space #observatory #Large #Magellanic

Event Attributes

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart April 11, 2025 ### Imma Perfetto Cosmos science journalist By Imma Perfetto Velocities of massive star candidates within the SMC shown as vectors. The colors of the arrows represent the direction of motion. Relative to the LMC, located at the bottom left of the image, most red arrows show movement towards the LMC, whereas most light blue arrows show movement away from the LMC, suggesting they are being pulled apart. Credit: Satoya Nakano Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Way, are often orbited by smaller satellite galaxies that buzz about like bees around a hive. The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and its larger companion, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), are some of our closest dwarf galaxies. They can even be seen with the naked eye in the southern hemisphere at night. But new research from Japan suggests that the gravitational pull of the LMC might be tearing the smaller one apart. “When we first got this result, we suspected that there might be an error in our method of analysis,” says Associate Professor Kengo Tachihara, who co-led the research at Nagoya University. Tachihara and his team used data collected by the Gaia space telescope to track the movement of more than 7,000 massive stars in the SMC. These stars, which are more than 8 times the size of our Sun, typically only live for a few million years before exploding as supernovae. “The stars in the SMC were moving in opposite directions on either side of the galaxy, as though they are being pulled apart,” says Tachihara. Read More * Space ### Gaia: the best space telescope you never heard of just shut down “Some of these stars are approaching the LMC, while others are moving away from it, suggesting the gravitational influence of the larger galaxy. “This unexpected movement supports the hypothesis that the SMC is being disrupted by the LMC, leading to its gradual destruction.” As these massive stars are so young, they are found in regions of space rich in a crucial component of star formation – hydrogen gas. Typically, they move together with the gas from which they formed, as they have not yet had time to decouple from its motion. As we are unable to get a bird’s-eye view of the galaxy in which we live, Tachihara adds, the SMC and the LMC are the only galaxies in which we can observe the details of stellar motion. But the study revealed an unexpected finding; the massive stars in the SMC do not follow a rotational pattern, which indicates that the interstellar gas itself also does not rotate. “If the SMC is indeed not rotating, previous estimates of its mass and its interaction history with the Milky Way and LMC might need to be revised,” says co-lead researcher, Satoya Nakano. “This could potentially change our understanding of the history of the 3-body interaction between the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way.” The research is published in a paper in _The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series_. Originally published by Cosmos as Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart * *

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Wa...

cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/magellan...

#Astronomy #News #Space #European #Space #Agency’s #Gaia #space #observatory #Large #Magellanic

Event Attributes

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart April 11, 2025 ### Imma Perfetto Cosmos science journalist By Imma Perfetto Velocities of massive star candidates within the SMC shown as vectors. The colors of the arrows represent the direction of motion. Relative to the LMC, located at the bottom left of the image, most red arrows show movement towards the LMC, whereas most light blue arrows show movement away from the LMC, suggesting they are being pulled apart. Credit: Satoya Nakano Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Way, are often orbited by smaller satellite galaxies that buzz about like bees around a hive. The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and its larger companion, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), are some of our closest dwarf galaxies. They can even be seen with the naked eye in the southern hemisphere at night. But new research from Japan suggests that the gravitational pull of the LMC might be tearing the smaller one apart. “When we first got this result, we suspected that there might be an error in our method of analysis,” says Associate Professor Kengo Tachihara, who co-led the research at Nagoya University. Tachihara and his team used data collected by the Gaia space telescope to track the movement of more than 7,000 massive stars in the SMC. These stars, which are more than 8 times the size of our Sun, typically only live for a few million years before exploding as supernovae. “The stars in the SMC were moving in opposite directions on either side of the galaxy, as though they are being pulled apart,” says Tachihara. Read More * Space ### Gaia: the best space telescope you never heard of just shut down “Some of these stars are approaching the LMC, while others are moving away from it, suggesting the gravitational influence of the larger galaxy. “This unexpected movement supports the hypothesis that the SMC is being disrupted by the LMC, leading to its gradual destruction.” As these massive stars are so young, they are found in regions of space rich in a crucial component of star formation – hydrogen gas. Typically, they move together with the gas from which they formed, as they have not yet had time to decouple from its motion. As we are unable to get a bird’s-eye view of the galaxy in which we live, Tachihara adds, the SMC and the LMC are the only galaxies in which we can observe the details of stellar motion. But the study revealed an unexpected finding; the massive stars in the SMC do not follow a rotational pattern, which indicates that the interstellar gas itself also does not rotate. “If the SMC is indeed not rotating, previous estimates of its mass and its interaction history with the Milky Way and LMC might need to be revised,” says co-lead researcher, Satoya Nakano. “This could potentially change our understanding of the history of the 3-body interaction between the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way.” The research is published in a paper in _The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series_. Originally published by Cosmos as Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart * *

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Wa...

cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/magellan...

#Astronomy #News #Space #European #Space #Agency’s #Gaia #space #observatory #Large #Magellanic

Event Attributes

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart April 11, 2025 ### Imma Perfetto Cosmos science journalist By Imma Perfetto Velocities of massive star candidates within the SMC shown as vectors. The colors of the arrows represent the direction of motion. Relative to the LMC, located at the bottom left of the image, most red arrows show movement towards the LMC, whereas most light blue arrows show movement away from the LMC, suggesting they are being pulled apart. Credit: Satoya Nakano Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Way, are often orbited by smaller satellite galaxies that buzz about like bees around a hive. The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and its larger companion, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), are some of our closest dwarf galaxies. They can even be seen with the naked eye in the southern hemisphere at night. But new research from Japan suggests that the gravitational pull of the LMC might be tearing the smaller one apart. “When we first got this result, we suspected that there might be an error in our method of analysis,” says Associate Professor Kengo Tachihara, who co-led the research at Nagoya University. Tachihara and his team used data collected by the Gaia space telescope to track the movement of more than 7,000 massive stars in the SMC. These stars, which are more than 8 times the size of our Sun, typically only live for a few million years before exploding as supernovae. “The stars in the SMC were moving in opposite directions on either side of the galaxy, as though they are being pulled apart,” says Tachihara. Read More * Space ### Gaia: the best space telescope you never heard of just shut down “Some of these stars are approaching the LMC, while others are moving away from it, suggesting the gravitational influence of the larger galaxy. “This unexpected movement supports the hypothesis that the SMC is being disrupted by the LMC, leading to its gradual destruction.” As these massive stars are so young, they are found in regions of space rich in a crucial component of star formation – hydrogen gas. Typically, they move together with the gas from which they formed, as they have not yet had time to decouple from its motion. As we are unable to get a bird’s-eye view of the galaxy in which we live, Tachihara adds, the SMC and the LMC are the only galaxies in which we can observe the details of stellar motion. But the study revealed an unexpected finding; the massive stars in the SMC do not follow a rotational pattern, which indicates that the interstellar gas itself also does not rotate. “If the SMC is indeed not rotating, previous estimates of its mass and its interaction history with the Milky Way and LMC might need to be revised,” says co-lead researcher, Satoya Nakano. “This could potentially change our understanding of the history of the 3-body interaction between the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way.” The research is published in a paper in _The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series_. Originally published by Cosmos as Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart * *

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Wa...

cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/magellan...

#Astronomy #News #Space #European #Space #Agency’s #Gaia #space #observatory #Large #Magellanic

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Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart April 11, 2025 ### Imma Perfetto Cosmos science journalist By Imma Perfetto Velocities of massive star candidates within the SMC shown as vectors. The colors of the arrows represent the direction of motion. Relative to the LMC, located at the bottom left of the image, most red arrows show movement towards the LMC, whereas most light blue arrows show movement away from the LMC, suggesting they are being pulled apart. Credit: Satoya Nakano Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Way, are often orbited by smaller satellite galaxies that buzz about like bees around a hive. The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) and its larger companion, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), are some of our closest dwarf galaxies. They can even be seen with the naked eye in the southern hemisphere at night. But new research from Japan suggests that the gravitational pull of the LMC might be tearing the smaller one apart. “When we first got this result, we suspected that there might be an error in our method of analysis,” says Associate Professor Kengo Tachihara, who co-led the research at Nagoya University. Tachihara and his team used data collected by the Gaia space telescope to track the movement of more than 7,000 massive stars in the SMC. These stars, which are more than 8 times the size of our Sun, typically only live for a few million years before exploding as supernovae. “The stars in the SMC were moving in opposite directions on either side of the galaxy, as though they are being pulled apart,” says Tachihara. Read More * Space ### Gaia: the best space telescope you never heard of just shut down “Some of these stars are approaching the LMC, while others are moving away from it, suggesting the gravitational influence of the larger galaxy. “This unexpected movement supports the hypothesis that the SMC is being disrupted by the LMC, leading to its gradual destruction.” As these massive stars are so young, they are found in regions of space rich in a crucial component of star formation – hydrogen gas. Typically, they move together with the gas from which they formed, as they have not yet had time to decouple from its motion. As we are unable to get a bird’s-eye view of the galaxy in which we live, Tachihara adds, the SMC and the LMC are the only galaxies in which we can observe the details of stellar motion. But the study revealed an unexpected finding; the massive stars in the SMC do not follow a rotational pattern, which indicates that the interstellar gas itself also does not rotate. “If the SMC is indeed not rotating, previous estimates of its mass and its interaction history with the Milky Way and LMC might need to be revised,” says co-lead researcher, Satoya Nakano. “This could potentially change our understanding of the history of the 3-body interaction between the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way.” The research is published in a paper in _The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series_. Originally published by Cosmos as Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart * *

Milky Way’s neighbouring galaxy could be ripped apart Large galaxies like our own, the Milky Wa...

cosmosmagazine.com/space/astronomy/magellan...

#Astronomy #News #Space #European #Space #Agency’s #Gaia #space #observatory #Large #Magellanic

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Original post on scitechdaily.com

Torn by Gravity: How a Cosmic Tug-of-War Is Pulling a Nearby Galaxy Apart Astronomers have discov...

scitechdaily.com/torn-by-gravity-how-a-co...

#Space #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Large #Magellanic […]

[Original post on scitechdaily.com]

Original post on science.nasa.gov

Hubble Examines Stars Ensconced in a Cocoon of Gas An open cluster of stars shines through misty,...

science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-e...

#Hubble #Space #Telescope #Astrophysics #Astrophysics […]

[Original post on science.nasa.gov]