Anonymous Coward User ID: 71351113 India 01/30/2016 09:44 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | huge gas cloud hurtling towards our galaxy Hubble Space Telescope astronomers are finding that the old adage “what goes up must come down” even applies to an immense cloud of hydrogen gas outside our Milky Way galaxy. The invisible cloud is plummeting toward our galaxy at nearly 700,000 miles per hour. Though hundreds of enormous, high-velocity gas clouds whizz around the outskirts of our galaxy, this so-called “Smith Cloud” is unique because its trajectory is well known. New Hubble observations suggest it was launched from the outer regions of the galactic disc, around 70 million years ago. The cloud was discovered in the early 1960s by doctoral astronomy student Gail Smith, who detected the radio waves emitted by its hydrogen. The cloud is on a return collision course and is expected to plow into the Milky Way’s disc in about 30 million years. When it does, astronomers believe it will ignite a spectacular burst of star formation, perhaps providing enough gas to make 2 million suns. source: [ link to astronomynow.com (secure)] |
Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 71351113 India 01/30/2016 09:45 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: huge gas cloud hurtling towards our galaxy from the article: "Astronomers have measured this comet-shaped region of gas to be 11,000 light-years long and 2,500 light-years across. If the cloud could be seen in visible light, it would span the sky with an apparent diameter 30 times greater than the size of the full Moon" |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 71350552 Germany 01/30/2016 10:08 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Re: huge gas cloud hurtling towards our galaxy No one cares this is the worst part.... you could explain a lot with these news. |