What is dark matter wake?
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What is dark matter wake?
Astronomers have discovered that a satellite of the Milky Way has left a “wake” in the dark matter halo that surrounds our galaxy. A hefty galactic dwarf is falling toward the Milky Way. Known as the Large Magellanic Cloud, it’s plowing through — and pulling on — the fog of dark matter that surrounds our galaxy.
Why are the Magellanic Clouds galaxies so special?
Their gravity has affected the Milky Way as well, distorting the outer parts of the galactic disk. Aside from their different structure and lower mass, they differ from our galaxy in two major ways. They are gas-rich; a higher fraction of their mass is hydrogen and helium compared to the Milky Way.
What was observed in the Large Magellanic Cloud?
supernova
supernova was located in the Large Magellanic Cloud at a distance of about 160,000 light-years. It immediately became the subject of intense observation by astronomers throughout the Southern Hemisphere and was observed by the Hubble Space Telescope.
What is the dark cloud that goes across the skies in both hemispheres?
Although noctilucent clouds occur in both hemispheres, they have been observed thousands of times in the northern hemisphere, but fewer than 100 times in the southern.
Why is it called the Large Magellanic Cloud?
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is a satellite dwarf galaxy of the Milky Way that is among the closest galaxies to Earth. Both the LMC and its companion, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), are named after the explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
Is the Milky Way a black hole?
The Milky Way’s supermassive black hole, known as Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), is over 4 million times more massive than our sun. Its strong gravitational pull draws nearby stars and gas clouds into its accretion disk.
Can you see the Magellanic Clouds with naked eye?
The Magellanic Clouds are visible to the unaided eye in the Southern Hemisphere, but they cannot be observed from most northern latitudes. The LMC is about 160,000 light-years from Earth, and the SMC lies 190,000 light-years away.