back to article Astroboffins spot sneaky signs that the Milky Way devoured smaller galaxies

Astrophysicists have found evidence that the Milky Way has gobbled up neighbouring massive dwarf galaxies over its 13 billion year lifetime. A team of researchers using a spectroscope analysed the starlight from 28 red giant stars hovering on the outer halo of the Milky Way. They then worked out their chemical composition from …

  1. Bob Wheeler

    Amazing Start Trek like scanning

    I find this stuff truly amazing that the geek squads can look at star's 65,000 light years away and analyse them to such details - go boffins.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Older star

    In 2013 HD 140283 (about 190 light years away from us) was estimated to be 14.46 ± 0.8 billion years.

    I found this out by listening to the "Science or Fiction" slot on the Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast earlier this week.

    1. David Nash Silver badge

      SGU

      @AC

      Me too...I was wondering whether it was the same reference. Also the reference to the Milky Way devouring smaller galaxies - which was given as a reason for the MW "having rings", the other "Science" item in that edition of Science or Fiction.

  3. ThatOne Silver badge
    Coat

    > After studying the concentration of elements contained in the stars on the edge, they found it did not match those of similar stars in the inner regions.

    Of course, that's the peel, it's different inside...

  4. Joerg

    All fairy tales.. fantasy numbers.. no science...

    All fairy tales.. fantasy numbers.. no science... They just tell fairy tales to the public. This isn't science for sure. All these numbers are not facts but just fantasy. There is no real proof of anything.

    1. Stoneshop

      Re: All fairy tales.. fantasy numbers.. no science...

      All these numbers are not facts but just fantasy.

      Ah. And that's because of your saying so?

      1. Alistair
        Windows

        Re: All fairy tales.. fantasy numbers.. no science...

        @Stoneshop;

        check posting history. It is because he's just saying so. Apparently he knows all sorts of things. Very dismissive knowledge he has.

        1. Stoneshop
          Trollface

          Re: All fairy tales.. fantasy numbers.. no science...

          Very dismissive knowledge he has.

          I know.

          Usually I let it go, the stupidity tends to be obvious. But sometimes I figure it's time to rile him up again, and let him dig himself deeper.

    2. GruntyMcPugh Silver badge

      Re: All fairy tales.. fantasy numbers.. no science...

      Hey Joerg, next time I go for beers with the Post Doctoral Astronomers I used to work with, I'll be sure to pass on your _opinion_ .

      Meanwhile you sound like a Solipsist, so why are you arguing with yourself?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Massive dwarf?

    How can something be a dwarf if it's massive?

    1. David Nash Silver badge

      Re: Massive dwarf?

      It has mass.

    2. ArrZarr Silver badge

      Re: Massive dwarf?

      Either because the term massive is being used in the sense of "having lots of mass" or because it's incredibly well endowed.

      1. Stoneshop
        Coat

        Re: Massive dwarf?

        or because it's incredibly well endowed.

        It's got huuuuge .... tracts of land.

    3. David Nash Silver badge

      Re: Massive dwarf?

      See also Neutron Star...Black Hole...etc. Lots of mass, but relatively small.

    4. graeme leggett Silver badge

      Re: Massive dwarf?

      It's big for a dwarf galaxy (at about 1/10th number of stars in Milky Way compare to lower limit of 1/1000th the number)

      And it doesn't seem fair to call something with 30 billion stars just "dwarf" ?

    5. Alistair
      Windows

      Re: Massive dwarf?

      Dwarves come in all sizes you know. Unlike gnomes or murlocks.

    6. MrDamage Silver badge

      Re: Massive dwarf?

      Ask Captain Carrot. But ask politely, he has a right hook that even trolls are scared of.

      1. Farnet

        Re: Massive dwarf?

        An Ankh Morpork reference is always worth an upvote.

        "Buggrit, Millenium hand and shrimp" good old Ron.

    7. Roj Blake Silver badge

      Re: Massive dwarf?

      If you can have miniature giant space hamsters, then you can also have massive dwarfs.

      And at least the dwarfs don't go for the eyes.

  6. Babou

    15% or 115% carbon

    "J0815+4729 is smaller and has only a millionth part of the calcium and iron that the Sun contains, but it has a relatively large amount of carbon, almost 15 per cent of what is contained in the Sun."

    Since you later state "The star [... is ...] amongst the ones with the largest over abundances of carbon,” I suspect that what you intended to say is that it contain 15% more carbon than what is contained in the sun. I also assume that it is all measured in proportion to the mass of the concerned star.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Boffin

    Galaxies do irreversably devour stars and destroy matter

    Black hole information paradox

    So when is the Thorne–Hawking–Preskill bet finally going to admit that Stephen Hawkings is righter and information is destroyed

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