The little cloud of Magallanes (PNM) is one of the neighboring galaxies close to the Milky Way and a New Research, which reveals data on the movement of massive stars in it, suggests that it could be tearing.
According to the data of a team led by Satoya Nakano and Kengo Tachihara, of the University of Nagoya (Japan), the gravitational attraction of the great cloud of Magellan (GNM) – the greatest companion of the PNM – could be tear to this second.
The discovery, according to researchers, reveals a new pattern in the movement of mass stars that could transform the understanding of evolution and galactic interactions. The results are published in The Astrophysical Journal magazine.
“When we obtained this result, we suspected that there could be an error in our analysis method,” Tachihara says: “However, after a more detailed study, the results are indisputable and surprised us.”
The PNM remains one of the galaxies closest to the Milky Way. This proximity allowed the research team to identify and track approximately 7,000 massive stars within it.
These stars, which have more than eight times the mass of our sun, usually survive only a few million years before exploiting as supernovae. Its presence indicates regions rich in hydrogen gas, a crucial component for star formation, explains a statement from the Japanese university.
The scientists observed that the stars in the small cloud of Magallanes moved in opposite directions on both sides of the galaxy, as if they were separating.
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Galaxy neighboring the Milky Way could be tear, a new study points out
Some of these stars approach the great cloud of Magallanes, while others move away from it, which suggests the gravitational influence of the largest galaxy.
This unexpected movement “supports the hypothesis” that the small cloud of Magellan is being disturbed by the great cloud of Magellan, which leads to its gradual destruction, Tachihara details.
Another surprising finding, according to astronomers, was the absence of rotational movement among mass stars. Unlike our Milky Way, where interstellar gas revolves along with the stars, the study revealed a different pattern.
Normally, massive young stars move along with the interstellar gas from which they were born, since they have not yet had time to decoup into their movement. However, the massive stars of the small cloud of Magallanes do not follow a rotation model, which indicates that the interstellar gas itself is either rotating.
“If, in fact, the small cloud of Magallanes is not rotating, the previous estimates of its mass and its history of interaction with the Milky Way and the Magellan cloud may need a review,” concludes Nakano.
The study has broader implications to understand the dynamics of interactions between neighboring galaxies, particularly in the original universe. Astronomers consider that the small cloud of Magallanes is an ideal model to study the childhood of the universe, since it shares many conditions with the primal galaxies, such as low metallicity and the weak gravitational potential.
Therefore, discoveries about the interaction between the small and large cloud of Magallanes could resemble the processes that molded the galaxies billions of years ago, providing valuable information about its evolution over the cosmic time.
With EFE information.
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