Wednesday 4 June 2008

Milky Way Mapping Project Finds Surprisingly Slow Stars


Source: Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Ultra-precise radio measurements using the National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) have given astronomers their first good look at the structure of the Milky Way and the motions of its young stars. Already, the measurements have turned up a big surprise: the mapped stars are orbiting slower than expected and moving in looping, oval paths rather than circling the galactic center. (read more)

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