大小麥哲倫星雲可能是首度前來銀河系的訪客

LLH

哈佛大學的天文學家測量到大小麥哲倫星雲的速度出乎意料地高，這意味它們可能不是一向環繞著銀河的衛星系，而是首度前來的訪客。

標題
CfA Press Release
Release No.: 2007-22
For Release: Monday, September 17, 2007

The Magellanic Clouds Are First-Time Visitors

Cambridge, MA - The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) are two of the Milky Way's closest neighboring galaxies. A stunning sight in the southern hemisphere, they were named after Ferdinand Magellan, who explored those waters in the 16th century. For hundreds of years, these galaxies were considered satellites of the Milky Way, gravitationally bound to our home galaxy. New research by Gurtina Besla (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) and her colleagues shows that the Magellanic Clouds are recent arrivals on their first visit to the Milky Way's neighborhood.

按此參閱原文