EXPERTS believe they may finally have pinpointed the edge of the Milky Way after analysing a whopping 100,000 stars.
In groundbreaking research, experts at the University of Malta estimate this boundary lies around 40,000 light years from the galaxy’s centre.
Sign up for The US Sun newsletter
Thank you!
Experts believe they have identified the edge of the Milky Way Credit: Getty
They believe the edge of our galaxy is approximately 40,000 lightyears away Credit: AFP
To reach that daunting conclusion, researchers analysed the ages and positions of over 100,000 stars.
What emerged was a striking pattern in how the galaxy has evolved.
Stars nearer the centre tend to be far older, while those further out grow progressively younger – but only up to a point.
Beyond that, the trend reverses.
OUTTA SPACE
Doomed SpaceX rocket likely to crash into MOON as Musk’s craft left drifting
Experts made this discovery after examining 100,000 stars Credit: Getty – Contributor
Research revealed the oldest stars are closest to the centre of the galaxy Credit: Getty
That “certain point” marks the end of the Milky Way’s active star-forming region, effectively setting out the edge of the galaxy.
The explanation for this lies in how stars are born.
Closer to the centre, dense clouds of gas and dust fuelled early star formation, creating older stellar populations.
Further out, those materials are more thinly spread, slowing the process and resulting in younger stars.
Farther beyond this boundary, astronomers still find older stars.
However, scientists say these are migrant stars.
Formed at the galaxy’s star-forming heart, they were later pushed outward over billions of years.
The researchers suggest major forces are responsible for this phenomenon.
These include powerful gravitational interactions capable of flinging stars beyond their birthplace.
They gradually populate the galaxy’s outermost reaches with these ancient wanderers.
To arrive at the figure of 40,000 light years, scientists looked at several factors.
That distance coincides with a gravitational boundary known as the Outer Lindblad Resonance.
It’s also the point where the Milky Way’s disk begins to warp, spreading its gas more thinly.
Taken together, these clues point to this distance as the cut-off for active star formation.