The Milky Way has a twin galaxy (or two)

Research presented yesterday (Thursday) at the World Astronomical Union conference held in Beijing, reveals a group of galaxies that looks very similar to ours that also surround relatively large galaxies like the Magellanic Clouds, a rare sight in our area of ​​the universe.

Research presented yesterday (Thursday) at the World Astronomical Union conference held in Beijing, reveals a group of galaxies that looks very similar to ours that also surround relatively large galaxies like the Magellanic Clouds, a rare sight in our area of ​​the universe.

The Milky Way is a typical galaxy in itself, but when compared to its nearest neighbor - the Large Magellanic Cloud - it is quite rare, and may be one of its kind, until a survey of the local universe discovered two more examples of this type.

Astronomer Dr. Aaron Rubotham and a group of researchers from the branch of the International Center for Radio Astronomy Research at the University of Western Australia, and researchers from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, discovered a group of galaxies similar to ours in the most detailed mapping of the near universe - Galaxy and Mass Assembly survey (GAMA).

We have never found another galaxy system similar to that of the Milky Way and its neighbors until now, which is not surprising given the difficulty of observing them. Only recently has it been possible to perform this type of analysis and find similar groups," says Dr. Rubotham.

"Everything had to happen at the same time. We needed telescopes good enough to discover not only galaxies but also their dark companions. We were required to look at large parts of the sky and most importantly - we were required to ensure that we did not miss any galaxies in the survey."

A simulation showing why it is rare for a galaxy like ours to form together with its surroundings predicts that these are rare circumstances. The astronomers could not say how rare these circumstances are, having discovered not one but two galaxies similar to the Milky Way out of hundreds of thousands of galaxies surveyed.
"We discovered that about 3% of the galaxies similar to the Milky Way are accompanied by small galaxies like the Magellanic Clouds, which is itself very rare. In total, we found 14 galaxy systems similar to ours, of which two are almost compatible." said.

The Milky Way is locked in a kind of cosmic dance with the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Small Magellanic Cloud, which are visible in the sky of the southern hemisphere. Many galaxies are surrounded by smaller galaxies, only a few are accompanied by galaxies as large as the Magellanic Clouds.

Dr. Rubotham's research also revealed that although companions like the Magellanic Clouds are rare, when they are near galaxies like the Milky Way, it means we are at the right time and place to see such a sight in the sky. "The galaxy we live in is typical, but the Magellanic Clouds are rare and short-lived, we should enjoy them while we can. They will only be here for another few billion years." said.

The group of researchers was awarded another telescope time at observatories in New South Wales and Chile in order to study the Magellanic Clouds and their connection to the Milky Way.

The GAMA survey is an international partnership led by ICRAR and the Australian Astronomical Observatory with the aim of mapping the nearby universe in great detail. ICRAR is a collaboration between Curtin University and the University of Western Australia and serves as a center of excellence in astronomy.

to the notice of the researchers