NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has document a close interaction between the Milky Way and one of its nearest galactic neighbours, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). This recent analysis of the LMC, led by Andrew Fox of the European Space Agency’s Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, reveals the effects of its near-collision with the Milky Way’s massive halo, including a significant reduction of the LMC’s own halo of gas.
Hubble data allow researchers to measure the extent of the LMC’s halo for the first time, which is now estimate at 50,000 light-years across, considerably smaller than other galaxies of similar mass.
Hubble Telescope Reveals Milky Way Blowing Gas off LMC Galaxy in Close Encounter
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This contraction of the halo, explain Fox, points to the effects of the LMC’s encounter with the Milky Way, which strip away a considerable portion of its outer gas layer.
Despite these losses, the LMC still contains sufficient gas to form new stars, adding resilience to the otherwise diminish dwarf galaxy.
A process known as ram-pressure stripping is responsible for much of the LMC’s halo loss.
As the LMC approach the Milky Way, the larger galaxy’s gravitational influence exert a “wind” effect, pushing back the LMC’s gas into a tail-like stream that now trails the galaxy.
Sapna Mishra, lead author on the research paper, liken this force to a powerful “hairdryer,” stripping away the LMC’s gas.
Hubble Telescope Captures Image of Merging Galaxies in Coma Cluster, 390 Million Light-Years Away
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This gas is not expect to be completely lost, as the galaxy begins to move away from the Milky Way after its closest pass.
As the team moves forward, plans are in place to study the leading edge of the LMC’s halo, which remains largely unexplore.
Scott Lucchini of the Centre for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian said that this research will focus on the collision points between the two halos, providing insight into the nature of galactic interactions in the universe’s early days.
