Ever since the 1950s, scientists already knew that our galaxy, the Milky Way, is not flat. Our galaxy is somewhat curved upwards on one side and curved downwards on the other. For a long time, scientists have wondered why the Milky Way’s structure was like this. Various theories have been made throughout the course of time. Now, new data from the ESA’s star mapping satellite, Gaia, might hold the key to solving this mystery.
Data from ESA's star-mapping satellite Gaia suggest the distortion might be caused by an ongoing collision with another, smaller, galaxy, which sends ripples through the galactic disc like a rock thrown into water.
Check out the full story over at PHYS.org.
(Image Credit: European Space Agency, ESA/ YouTube)