Bones of Loki Reveal Ancient Milky Way Merger in Its Disk
TL;DR Summary
Astronomers identified 20 old, very metal-poor stars orbiting close to the Milky Way’s disk whose chemistry and motions suggest they originated in a dwarf galaxy nicknamed Loki that merged with the Milky Way more than 10 billion years ago. The inferred Loki had about 1.4 billion solar masses, and the study shows how ancient mergers can leave detectable stellar signatures in the inner Galaxy; further observations are needed to confirm Loki and map similar remnants.
- The Milky Way ate a galaxy called Loki, and scientists think they found its bones Live Science
- Scientists Find Dwarf Galaxy That May Have Been Absorbed By Milky Way Billions Of Years Ago NDTV
- Astronomers Say Something Massive Is Lurking Inside the Milky Way VICE
- Astronomers identify 20 stars as remnants of Loki, a dwarf galaxy consumed by the Milky Way starlust.org
- Meet Loki: A new lost galaxy that might have been cannibalized by the Milky Way MSN
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