Scientists identify Milky Way's ancient building

23/3/2024 14:33

        Astronomers have identified two ancient streams of stars - named after the Hindu deities Shakti and Shiva - that appear to be among the Milky Way's earliest building blocks, offering new insight into how our galaxy came together long ago.
        
        These structures, found using observations from the European Space Agency's Gaia space telescope, may be relics of two distinct galaxies that merged roughly 12 billion years ago with the Milky Way's primordial pieces during the galaxy's infancy, the scientists said.
        
        Shakti and Shiva are comprised of stars with similar chemical compositions that formed 12-13 billion years ago, the researchers said. Each of the structures has a mass about 10 million times greater than our sun.
        
        In Hinduism, the union between Shiva and Shakti gave rise to the cosmos. Identifying the Shakti and Shiva structures has helped to bring the Milky Way's turbulent earliest stages into focus.