In 2004, astronomers found evidence for a clumpy stream of hydrogen gas linking the Triangulum galaxy with
the nearby Andromeda galaxy.
Astronomers announced a possible planet in
the nearby Andromeda galaxy in 2009, but its presence has not yet been confirmed.
A highly detailed survey of
the nearby Andromeda Galaxy, which as a nearby spiral galaxy is something of an observational proxy for our own Milky Way, shows the remnants of smaller galaxies that our neighbor appears to have cannibalized.
In time,
the nearby Andromeda galaxy will hit the Milky Way, and the supermassive black holes at each galaxy's center will form a duo that future observers can scrutinize.
Astronomers have noted that such streams of stars are relatively common in the outer regions of spiral galaxies, a phenomenon that has been observed on the outskirts of the Milky Way as well as around
the nearby Andromeda galaxy.
Now, Hubble has done just that for two globular clusters: M15, in our Milky Way, and G1, in
the nearby Andromeda galaxy.
The globular clusters M15 (left) in our Milky Way and G1 in
the nearby Andromeda galaxy both harbor medium - size black holes at their cores.
But time will tell, because Randall's idea is testable: Future observations of our galaxy, as well as of tiny galaxies surrounding
the nearby Andromeda Galaxy, could find this type of dark matter and illuminate the solar system's route through it.
Not exact matches
Right now, the Milky Way galaxy is locked in a gravitational dance with a
nearby galaxy called
Andromeda.
Suspecting that
Andromeda, a
nearby giant spiral galaxy similar to the Milky Way, might sport a similar stream, researchers led by Rodrigo Ibata of the Strasbourg Observatory in France used the Isaac Newton Telescope at La Palma, Canary Islands, to find out.
Nearby galaxies (e.g., the
Andromeda Galaxy) are detected by the emission from constituent X-ray binaries.
«I think this is the craziest thing because before we could only see singular stars from
nearby galaxies like
Andromeda or Milky Way,» said Patrick Kelly, a University astrophysics professor who led the international team of scientists.
For a break from beach - lounging, head to
nearby Flower Forest, a horticultural park;
Andromeda Gardens, a botanical garden; or Cotton Tower, a historic signal station with majestic views of the coastline.