Gaia Sausage collision may have flipped the Milky Way by 90° 10 billion years ago
Astronomers suggest that a head-on collision with a dwarf galaxy called Gaia Sausage 10 billion years ago may have caused the Milky Way to flip its orientation. Computer simulations indicate this event explains the unusual slow rotation of stars in the galaxy's halo.
Why it matters
This discovery provides critical insight into the evolutionary history and structural formation of our galaxy.
A dramatic collision between the Milky Way and a dwarf galaxy around 10 billion years ago may have completely changed the orientation of our galaxy, according to astronomers.Researchers from Durham University say the Milky Way was likely flipped by more than 90 degrees after a direct hit from a smaller galaxy known as the Gaia Sausage, a cosmic event that took place long before the solar system came into existence.The findings were presented this week at the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy Meeting in Birmingham.Milky Way may have been turned on its sideAccording to the researchers, the incoming Gaia Sausage galaxy slammed directly into the Milky Way about 10 billion years ago.
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