Hubble Telescope Solves Milky Way Origin Mystery: Galaxy Absorbed Dwarf Companion 11.8 Billion Years Ago

New findings from the Hubble Space Telescope have resolved a long-standing mystery surrounding the Milky Way's origins, revealing crucial details about its early development. An international research team, analyzing ancient star clusters, has reconstructed a key phase in the galaxy's history.

The study, published in Nature Astronomy, indicates that the Milky Way merged with a dwarf galaxy, technically named Low-energy-Kraken-Heracles (LKH), about 11.8 billion years ago. This ancient galactic encounter represents the first major influx of external matter that contributed to the formation of our current galactic structure. LKH itself possessed a stellar mass equivalent to 500 million Suns.

This discovery challenges earlier hypotheses that suggested the galaxy's initial stages were primarily shaped by stars formed internally. Researchers utilized data from Hubble and the Gaia space observatory to examine globular clusters, which act as cosmic time capsules preserving ancient stellar populations. By analyzing the age and chemical composition of stars within these clusters, scientists could differentiate between stars born within the Milky Way and those originating from LKH, confirming the merger event.

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The discovery of LKH allows us to identify the origin of the first significant batch of bricks for the galactic home.