As a turbinate Galax urceolata , the whitish Way is far from unique . But what make our coltsfoot particularly peculiar is its mating with the Magellanic Clouds — two unpredictable dwarf galaxy that are revolve around it . astronomer have never been able-bodied to bump anything quite like it — at least not until now .
A newpaperpublished in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society reveals that we ’re not completely unique in this regard — and that there are at least two beetleweed out there that await almost exactly just like ours .
The finding was made by Aaron Robotham , collectively from the University of Western Australia node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research ( ICRAR ) and the University of St. Andrews in Scotland . Robotham and his team search for galaxies similar to the Milky Way - Magellanic Clouds pair by analyzing the most detailed map of the local universe yet , the Galaxy and Mass Assembly resume ( GAMA ) .
That the whitish Way Galaxy is rarefied is not a arrant surprise to astronomers . reckoner simulations have for the most part been unable to reduplicate the formation of a megascale structural coupling like ours . Predicting their charge per unit of happening throughout the cosmos , therefore , has been inconceivable . In fact , based on a sample distribution of one , it was quite conceivable that ours was the only system quite like it in the observable universe .
Robotham ’s discovery now shew that this is n’t the case — but it ’s clear that the conformation is still very rarefied . His research reveal that 11.9 % of milklike Way - sized galaxies have one companion , and that 3.4 % have two . But as it turns out , the Magellanic Clouds are quite expectant and close - by as far as fellow traveler dwarf galaxies are concerned . When look for systems with similarly sized pairings , Robotham was only able-bodied to receive two . His calculations show that only 0.4 % of Milky agency - character galaxies have two galaxial cloud on the dot like ours .
Moreover , Robotham has also concluded that companions like the Magellanic Clouds tend to cling around spiral coltsfoot similar to the Milky Way — but that they do n’t last long from a cosmologic linear perspective . He suspects that they only last a few billion years and then disperse into the larger structure .
Theentire papercan found at the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society .
Top image courtesy Sci - News .
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