Our Neighbouring Galaxy Is Being Torn Apart, Scientists Make Shocking Discovery

The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), a small galaxy, located about 200,000 light-years away, orbiting our Milky Way galaxy is being torn apart, a new study has claimed. The findings, published in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series on Thursday (Apr 10), suggest that the gravitational pull of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), the SMC's larger companion, might be tearing the smaller one apart.

"When we first got this result, we suspected that there might be an error in our method of analysis. However, upon closer examination, the results are indisputable, and we were surprised," said Kengo Tachihara, an astronomer at Nagoya University in Japan who co-led the study.

Analysing the data collected by the European Space Agency's recently retired Gaia spacecraft, the scientists found that stars in SMC were moving in opposite directions on either side of the galaxy as if they were being "pulled apart".

"Some of these stars are approaching the LMC, while others are moving away from it," said Mr Tachihara, adding that the gravitational influence of the LMC might be leading SMC to its "gradual destruction".

The researchers also made another shocking discovery. claiming that the massive stars tracked within the SMC were not rotating around the galaxy's axis. This suggests that something might be wrong with our understanding of the galaxy's mass and its history of interactions with the LMC and the Milky Way.

"If galactic rotation is absent in the SMC, it could significantly alter the previously calculated histories of interactions among the Milky Way, LMC, and SMC."

Also Read | Milky Way Blasts Neighbouring Galaxy's Mass Like A 'Giant Hairdryer', Hubble Finds

Importance of SMC

The SMC, alongside LMC, is one of the 30 galaxies residing in our cosmic neighbourhood. Measuring just 7,000 light-years across compared to our own galaxy's 100,000 light-year diameter, SMC circles the Milky Way about once every 1.5 billion years.

Even though it is a small, or so-called dwarf galaxy, the SMC is so bright that it is visible to the unaided eye from the Southern Hemisphere and near the equator. Owing to its proximity and brightness, SMC offers an opportunity to study phenomena that are difficult to examine in more distant galaxies.

"We are unable to get a 'bird's-eye view' of the galaxy in which we live," Mr Tachihara noted. "As a result, the SMC and the LMC are the only galaxies in which we can observe the details of stellar motion. This research is important because it allows us to study the process of star formation in connection with the motion of stars throughout the galaxy."