The Sky Tonight

July 31, 2014

Our galaxy is way smaller than previous estimates
Edinburgh, UK (SPX) Jul 31, 2014
The Milky Way is smaller than astronomers previously thought, according to new research. For the first time, scientists have been able to precisely measure the mass of the galaxy that contains our solar system. Researchers have found that the Milky Way is approximately half the weight of a neighbouring galaxy - known as Andromeda - which has a similar structure to our own. The Milky Way and Andromeda are the two largest in a region of galaxies which astronomers call the Local Group. Scientis ... read more

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