The Milky Way galaxy may have been overturned by a powerful collision in the past

Astronomers at Durham University in the UK have announced a surprising discovery about the history of the Milky Way. According to research, about 10-11 billion years ago, our galaxy collided with another large galaxy, an event that altered its entire structure. This cosmic cataclysm was so powerful that it is estimated the galactic disk was tilted by nearly 90 degrees. This is reported by Ixbt.com .

Scientists reached this conclusion by computer modeling the consequences of a collision with an ancient galaxy called Gaia-Enceladus. Previously, the Gaia space telescope had found traces of this collision based on the unusual orbits of stars at the edge of our galaxy. However, new research shows that the scale of this event was much larger than previously thought.

A massive turn in the universe

According to Durham University researcher Kirill Batrakov, this collision not only triggered the formation of new stars but also caused a change in the orientation of the Milky Way disk in space. This means that most stars in the galaxy once moved along completely different trajectories around the center. This discovery opens a new chapter in understanding the evolution of the universe.

Computer simulations showed that this specific tilt of the ancient disk explains the current structure of the Milky Way in the most logical way. This model matches the positioning of satellite galaxies and helps explain why stars in the outer galactic halo are rotating at an unusually slow speed.

A common stage of galactic evolution

According to NASA, galaxy collisions are not a rare phenomenon in the universe, but rather a standard stage in their development. One in every four observed galaxies has experienced such a major "accident" at least once. Such collisions can completely change a galaxy's shape, redistribute billions of stars, and accelerate the process of star formation.

Scientists believe these new results will help to more accurately reconstruct the formation history not only of the Milky Way but also of other spiral galaxies in the universe. This study has once again proven how complex and dynamic the past of the corner of the universe we live in truly is.