illustrative Photo
Astrophysics of the Canary Institute has conducted an impressive study.
Star, the Sun could appear due to the collision of the milky Way with the neighboring galaxy. Such an assumption is made astrophysics of the Canary Institute of astrophysics. The results of their research they shared in an article published in Nature Astronomy (translation lenta.ua).
To determine the age of all known stars in the solar vicinity, astronomers used the stars catalogue, compiled on the basis of data collected by the space telescope Gaia.
Part of the milky way galaxy for 6500 light-years from the Solar system has experienced three periods of intense star formation over a period of 6 billion years. Their peaks were 5.7, 1.9 and 1 billion years ago. The formation of the Sun, which is about five billion years, occurred in one of the last bursts of star formation.
Photo: VTI
Scientists have suggested that during these periods, the plane of the milky Way shot through the dwarf elliptical galaxy in Sagittarius (for brevity, referred to Sgr).
Sgr is a small stellar system that revolves around the center of the milky Way. It gradually shrinking orbit nearly perpendicular to the plane of the Galaxy. From time to time Sgr literally dives into the disk of the milky Way from the top down, bottom up, and flies right through him.
Important features of the shape of our galaxy were caused by collisions with Sgr. Giving the milky Way a mass ten thousand times, this space dwarf became its architect.
Mixing with the interstellar gas of the milky Way, the Sgr was supposed to generate a wave in it, similar to circles on the water. At some points this wave, the substance becomes more rarefied, but the other was compacted. In these areas of high density gravity has launched the formation of stars.
“Probably a substantial part of stellar mass of the milky Way was formed due to the interaction with the Sgr and could not occur otherwise”, – said co-author, astrophysicist Karma Gallart (Carme Gallart).
When this collision do not go unnoticed and for Sgr. Every time this star system loses part of its gas and dust.
