Everyone knows that we live in the Milky Way galaxy, correct? Well, scientists have recently realized that the MIlky Way galaxy is not only spinning faster than they initially thought, but it is also larger than was previously calculated.
We used to think the Andromeda galaxy was larger than our own, but now it seems the Milky Way is of a comparable size.
From CBS News via the Associated Press:
Scientists mapped the Milky Way in a more detailed, three-dimensional way and found that it’s 15 percent larger in breadth. More important, it’s denser, with 50 percent more mass, which is like weight. The new findings were presented Monday at the American Astronomical Society’s convention in Long Beach, Calif.
That difference means a lot, said study author Mark Reid of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass. The slight 5-foot-5, 140-pound astrophysicist said it’s the cosmic equivalent of him suddenly bulking up to the size of a 6-foot-3, 210-pound NFL linebacker.
This means that our galaxy will intersect with the approaching Andromeda galaxy much sooner than previously predicted, but still billions of years from now.
It could mean though a higher chance of finding intelligent life in our own galaxy though as a higher density means more stars, and possibly more habitable planets. I am very interested to see if this effects the overall calculations on the number of Earth sized planets in the Goldilocks zone.
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