It is a mysterious, colossal strand that resembles a giant snake slithering through the Solar System, providing evidence that the galaxy containing Earth is a ferocious monster.
According to research from the University of Virginia (USA), this giant snake-like “ghost” is a “galactic strand”, the remnants of an ancient galaxy that was consumed by the Milky Way. The Milky Way, which houses Earth, has long been known as a “monster galaxy”, having devoured at least 16 other galaxies to achieve its massive size today.
The strange “ghost” structure flying through the Solar System – (photo: University of Virginia)
The article published in the Astrophysical Journal states that there are quite a few galactic strands like this throughout the Milky Way. The strand traversing the Solar System does not affect our parent star or the planets, including Earth, even though it has the power to shake the entire galaxy.
According to Phys.org, the strand crossing the Solar System is the remnant of the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy, which collided with the Milky Way 3 billion years ago and was crushed.
Astronomer Xinlun Cheng, a member of the research team, noted that their main goal is to understand why the structure of the galactic disk is warped rather than symmetrical, with its edges continuously moving around the outer rim of the galaxy.
Using data from the APOGEE infrared spectrograph developed by the University of Virginia over the years, combined with data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite, astronomers have captured the aforementioned galactic strands – the culprits behind the disturbances.
