Hidden Loki Dwarf Galaxy Reveals the Milky Way's Ancient Growth
Astronomers analyzing metal-poor stars in the Milky Way’s plane have found chemical fingerprints suggesting a long-vanished dwarf galaxy, dubbed Loki, was absorbed by the Milky Way billions of years ago; Loki’s stars orbit both prograde and retrograde, indicating a chaotic early accretion and a relic of our galaxy’s growth.