Astronomy's Latest News
Amateur astronomers have discovered a gigantic mysterious structure near the Andromeda galaxy. And the most interesting thing about
it is that it was hiding in plain sight. No giant telescope or observatory has seen it in decades. The discovery was made using a backyard telescope and confirmed by professional astronomers.
The Andromeda galaxy is moving towards us at a speed of about 110 km/s. It’s on a collision course with the Milky Way. The two giant galaxies are expected to merge in the next five billion years. Since the galactic halos might already be interacting, astronomers thought it was a result of the merger that is in its initial stages. But a close analysis of the structure shows things are not as simple as they seem. Such a giant gas cloud has never been seen before near a galaxy.
So what is it all about? How did the big telescopes miss it in the first place? Finally, and most importantly, why are astronomers unable to explain its origin so far?
The 43rd episode of the Sunday Discovery Series answers all these questions.
REFERENCES:
Discovery of Extensive [O iii] Emission Near M31, Drechsler et al - https://bit.ly/3Rcbpfz
A Recently Discovered Gas Cloud Near Andromeda Stumps Astronomers, Phil Plait - https://bit.ly/3D1uydV
RESOURCES:
Footage: NASA, ESA, ESO, Hubble, Pond5, Envato Elements, StoryBlocks
Music: MotionElements and Envato Elements
Dust Cloud Images: Marcel Drechsler/Xavier Strottner/Yann Sainty
Created By: Rishabh Nakra
Narrated By: Jeffrey Smith
