The Milky Way's Dark Twin Revealed

In summary, the conversation discusses a recently published article about a galaxy that emits only 1% of the light as the Milky Way despite being massive. The topic of dark matter is brought up and one person questions if it played a role in the lack of star formation in this galaxy. The other person clarifies that the galaxy is mostly dark matter and suggests possible reasons for its low star formation. They also discuss the naming of this galaxy as a "dark twin" and propose alternative, more exciting names.
  • #1
CygnusX-1
125
93
A galaxy as massive as the Milky Way emits only 1% as much light.

Link: Nature.
 
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  • #2
Interesting article, thanks. I expected a connection with dark matter, however it appears to me they are saying something along the lines of the stars never ignited unlike in typical formation areas. Am I getting it wrong?
 
  • #3
The galaxy is mostly dark matter. But for some reason, it never made many stars--maybe because it lost its gas before it could, or maybe because it was spinning so fast its gas was too spread out to do so.
 
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  • #4
CygnusX-1 said:
The galaxy is mostly dark matter. But for some reason, it never made many stars--maybe because it lost its gas before it could, or maybe because it was spinning so fast its gas was too spread out to do so.
Cool, thanks. It will be interesting to see what discoveries come from studying the area.
 
  • #5
Why dark twin? It isn't even an exact copy- they just compliment each other. Why not romanticize the discovery and call it the mysterious mate or dark lover or at least something else more exciting?
 

1. What is "The Milky Way's Dark Twin"?

"The Milky Way's Dark Twin" refers to a recently discovered galaxy that is very similar to our own Milky Way galaxy, but is primarily composed of dark matter.

2. How was "The Milky Way's Dark Twin" discovered?

Scientists used advanced telescopes and observational techniques to detect the gravitational effects of dark matter in the galaxy, revealing its existence and structure.

3. Why is the discovery of "The Milky Way's Dark Twin" significant?

This discovery provides more evidence for the existence and prevalence of dark matter in the universe, shedding light on this mysterious and elusive substance that makes up a large portion of the universe's mass.

4. How does "The Milky Way's Dark Twin" compare to our own galaxy?

Despite being mostly composed of dark matter, "The Milky Way's Dark Twin" has a similar size and structure to our own galaxy, with a disk of stars and spiral arms. It also has a large central bulge and a supermassive black hole at its center.

5. What further research will be conducted on "The Milky Way's Dark Twin"?

Scientists will continue to study this galaxy to learn more about its composition, structure, and relationship to our own Milky Way. This can help us better understand the role of dark matter in galaxy formation and evolution.

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