The interaction between the Milky Way and a satellite galaxy is creating many new stars

According to a widely accepted forecast in global astronomy, in about 2 billion years, our galaxy (Milky Way) will collide with an adjacent satellite galaxy: Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). This collision is so dramatic that it will wake the black hole in the center of our galaxy, make it work again, and rapidly expand to ten times its current size.

The LMC is a fairly small galaxy, but very rich in dark matter, so it has an enormous mass. This feature makes the collision between the two galaxies extremely catastrophic.

But that is the story of the future 2 billion years from us. At the present time, the interaction between the two galaxies not only does not cause damage, but also contributes to the creation of new stars.

Based on data obtained from the Gaia spacecraft, researchers have found the existence of rare blue stars and satellite star clusters traveling with them in our Galaxy. After identifying and removing known clusters, scientists found a cluster of stars on the far edge of the Galaxy with many interesting features, named Price-Whelan 1.

The interaction between the Milky Way and a satellite galaxy is creating many new stars Picture 1

By analyzing the elements found in the new cluster's stars, the researchers realized that they are likely to be formed from celestial bodies located outside our galaxy. This mysterious cluster is located near a stream of gas called the Magellanic Stream, which flows from the Large and Small Magellanic Cloud toward the Galaxy, so scientists believe that the interaction between another galaxy and the Milky Way is elements that create the source of the materials that make up the stars.

This is a giant cluster. It contains less than a few thousand stars, but has an impact beyond the Milky Way. It represents the ongoing interaction between the Milky Way and the Large Magellanic Cloud.