The Milky Way is Warped around the Edges

Last year we learned that our home galaxy is bigger than we imagined, and now comes word that its shape isn't quite what many have believed it to be. Instead of being a mostly flat spiral disk of stars and gas, new research by astronomers in China and Australia shows that the Milky Way is significantly warped at its edges.

"We usually think of spiral galaxies as being quite flat, like Andromeda, which you can easily see through a telescope," Richard de Grijs, an astronomer at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, and a co-author of the paper describing the research, said in a statement. The paper was published Feb. 5 in the journal Nature Astronomy.

New 3D map of the Milky Way shows we live in a warped galaxy

This may be a new 3D map but it is not new information. It has been know for quite a while that our galaxy is not flat like the Andromeda galaxy. I guess it is just more warped than was thought. The warp is being blamed on the spinning of the galaxy in the above story.

Space.com 2006 Milky Way's Warp Explained

Washington, DC--A slow-motion collision between mysterious dark matter and two of the Milky Way's galactic neighbors may be causing our galaxy to warp like a vinyl record left out in the hot Sun, scientists announced today.

Astronomers have puzzled over the Milky Way's warped shape for nearly half a century but have been unable to provide a convincing explanation for what might be causing it.

This never ending goal of "proving" dark matter exists is getting silly.

originally posted by: Fools
This never ending goal of "proving" dark matter exists is getting silly.

Dark matter reminds me of global warming. When you start with a false premise it is hard to prove.

Dark matter? Wouldn’t it make more sense that other galaxies are pulling on ours, the Milky Way.

In the pic shown, it appears it’s being ‘pulled’ on from two directions. The right side is being pulled down, and the left side is being pulled up.

Since we know that most star systems, come in a binary or trinary form — would it be hard to believe that galaxies don’t interact with binary or trinary galactic neribors?

As above, so below.

originally posted by: Fools
This never ending goal of "proving" dark matter exists is getting silly.

Dark matter does exist.

It's called that as a placeholder. They could call it blue matter or single-lady matter. Still does the same thing.

a reply to: Metallicus

Dark matter reminds me of global warming. When you start with a false premise it is hard to prove.

Irrelevant.



Dark Matter is a name only. A placeholder to name something we haven't figured out yet.

a reply to: KKLOCO

Dark matter? Wouldn’t it make more sense that other galaxies are pulling on ours, the Milky Way.

No. The nearest galaxy to ours with the mass to affect our structure is roughly 2.5Mly away.

The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are the next nearest galaxies and they are considered dwarf galaxies. Those two galaxies are so small that they are currently being drawn in and ripped apart by our own galaxy.

There are MANY small galaxies surrounding our own. While they DO have an effect on our galaxy, they do not have enough of their own mass to warp the Milky Way as described.

My view to the exclusion of dark matter as a source of the warpage:

It could be that our galaxy is warped due to the effects of a galactic merger some 4-8 billion years ago.

As recently as 900 million years ago a close flyby of an as of yet identified galaxy caused ripples to form in our galactic structure.

earthsky.org...

mostly flat spiral disk of stars and gas, new research by astronomers in China And logic would dictate The Earth is also FLAT...............

originally posted by: Plotus
mostly flat spiral disk of stars and gas, new research by astronomers in China And logic would dictate The Earth is also FLAT...............

originally posted by: projectvxn

originally posted by: Fools
This never ending goal of "proving" dark matter exists is getting silly.

Dark matter does exist.

It's called that as a placeholder. They could call it blue matter or single-lady matter. Still does the same thing.

Or a "singularity matter"

CGI picture does not inspire confidence, what exactly do they use to wifi this pictures and what kind of camera can see that much view?