All articles tagged with #galactic bar
A Gaia-based study of ~2 billion stars found 6,594 solar twins clustered in the 4–6 billion-year range near the Sun’s current orbit, suggesting a mass outward migration from the galactic core during the Milky Way’s bar formation. The temporary lowering of a corotation barrier likely allowed Sun-like stars to drift outward, placing our Sun in a calmer region conducive to life.
New Gaia-based research suggests the Sun and many Sun-like stars formed at similar times and distances from the Milky Way’s center and likely migrated outward from the galactic core about 4–6 billion years ago as the Milky Way’s central bar evolved. This outward journey could have placed our solar system in a calmer outer disk for much of its history, potentially aiding Earth’s habitability and the emergence of life. The findings stem from two astronomy studies analyzing ~6,600 solar twins within ~1,000 light-years and will be broadened with upcoming Gaia data.
A Gaia-based study identified about 6,600 Sun-like stars with similar ages and compositions that likely migrated outward from the Milky Way’s crowded center during the formation of the galaxy’s central bar 4–6 billion years ago, suggesting the Sun itself may have moved into a quieter outer disk and offering a possible explanation for Earth’s habitable environment.