From: Spudboy100@aol.com
Date: Fri Jan 11 2002 - 13:13:20 MST
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/01/020110075727.htm
<<...An unexpectedly large number of blue stars have been found within 20
degrees of the galactic plane, say Newberg and Yanny. These stars could be
part of a disrupted dwarf galaxy, or a disk-like distribution of stars that
is puffier than accepted models of stellar disks in the galaxy, and flatter
than the spherical distribution in the halo. “The clumpiness of the stellar
distribution in the Milky Way halo suggests that our galactic model needs to
be reconsidered,” says Newberg. “Although we originally set out to measure
properties of a smooth halo, we now find it difficult to determine which, if
any, of the structures of the halo belong to that population.” “Stars in the
halo appear to be grouped into distinct streams in the sky,” says Yanny. “A
careful look at the stellar properties shows that they come from yet
unidentified parent populations, perhaps other dwarf galaxies which have long
since been torn apart.” Newberg and Yanny are the principal authors, along
with 17 SDSS researchers, of a paper to be published by The Astrophysical
Journal. Newberg says the findings are significant because they have an
impact on several active fields of astronomical research, including: galactic
structure, evolution of the Milky Way, the distribution of mass in the
galaxy, and galaxy formation in the early Universe...>
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