{"id":795325,"date":"2025-04-16T07:52:05","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T12:52:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=795325"},"modified":"2025-04-16T07:52:05","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T12:52:05","slug":"large-magellanic-cloud-is-ripping-apart-its-smaller-neighbor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=795325","title":{"rendered":"Large Magellanic Cloud is ripping apart its smaller neighbor"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_507781\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-507781\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-507781\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Large Magellanic Cloud and the Small Magellanic Cloud from the European Southern Observatory\u2019s Paranal Observatory in Chile. They are 2 small galaxies orbiting our large, spiral Milky Way galaxy. New research indicates that the Large Magellanic Cloud is ripping its smaller neighbor to shreds. Image via J. Colosimo\/ ESO (CC BY 4.0).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Looking up has never felt more important.<\/strong><br \/>Help EarthSky keep bringing the sky to your screen.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The Large Magellanic Cloud is pulling apart<\/strong> the Small Magellanic Cloud with its gravity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Young massive stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud<\/strong> are moving in a manner that shows clear signs of gravitational disruption.<\/li>\n<li><strong>These observations offer a glimpse<\/strong> into how small galaxies in the early universe may have interacted and evolved.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>What is happening to the Small Magellanic Cloud?<\/h3>\n<p>The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are two small galaxies. They\u2019re gravitationally bound to our home galaxy, the Milky Way. And they\u2019re visible to the unaided eye in the Southern Hemisphere\u2019s night sky. This month, scientists in Japan reported that \u2013 based on measurements of star movements in the Small Cloud \u2013 the Large Cloud appears to be ripping it apart.<\/p>\n<p>How do we know? Scientists at Nagoya University in Japan tracked the motions of 7,426 massive stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud, using data from the Gaia observatory. This recently decommissioned observatory measured the motions of almost 2 billion stars with unprecedented accuracy.<\/p>\n<p>Kengo Tachihara is a paper co-author. He said in a statement:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>When we first got this result, we suspected that there might be an error in our method of analysis. However, upon closer examination, the results are indisputable, and we were surprised.<\/p>\n<p>The stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud were moving in opposite directions on either side of the galaxy, as though they are being pulled apart. Some of these stars are approaching the Large Magellanic Cloud, while others are moving away from it, suggesting the gravitational influence of the larger galaxy. This unexpected movement supports the hypothesis that the Small Magellanic Cloud is being disrupted by the Large Magellanic Cloud, leading to its gradual destruction.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The researchers reported their findings in the peer-reviewed journal <em>The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series<\/em> on April 10, 2025.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"[Short Research Introduction Video] Exploring Galactic Disruption Processes through Stellar Motion\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pbS56-uyepY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/><em>Watch a video on how the Large Magellanic Cloud is affecting the Small Magellanic Cloud. Via lead author of the study, Satoya Nakano.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_507873\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-507873\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2025\/04\/small-magellanic-cloud-torn-apart-e1744722692553.jpeg\" alt=\"Colored blotches representing parts of the Small Magellanic Cloud, all with arrows pointing different directions.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" class=\"size-full wp-image-507873\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-507873\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A new study suggests that the Large Magellanic Cloud is ripping apart the Small Magellanic Cloud.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>More evidence of disruption in the Small Magellanic Cloud<\/h3>\n<p>The scientists looked up the movements of carefully selected young massive stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Gaia  measured these stars that are more than eight times our sun\u2019s mass.<\/p>\n<p>These stars are quite young, having recently emerged from the gas clouds in which they formed. They\u2019ve not had time to move far from those clouds, which are mostly composed of hydrogen. Therefore, there\u2019s still a lot of hydrogen in their vicinity.<\/p>\n<p>Our sun and all stars in the Milky Way galaxy revolve around the center of our galaxy. In the Small Magellanic Cloud, scientists expected to see stars revolving about its center, too. Instead, the data showed no evidence of such movement, further confirming the disruptive effect of the Large Magellanic Cloud on this small galaxy. That also meant that the hydrogen gas associated with these young stars was also not revolving about the center of the Small Magellanic Cloud. <\/p>\n<p>Satoya Nakano, the paper\u2019s lead author, commented in the statement:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>If the Small Magellanic Cloud is indeed not rotating, previous estimates of its mass and its interaction history with the Milky Way and Large Magellanic Cloud might need to be revised. This could potentially change our understanding of the history of the three-body interaction between the two Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_507778\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-507778\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2025\/04\/SMC-star-motions-Nakano-Satoya.png\" alt=\"Hundreds of short colored arrows on black background, red ones pointing left and blue ones pointing right.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" class=\"size-full wp-image-507778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2025\/04\/SMC-star-motions-Nakano-Satoya.png 800w, https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2025\/04\/SMC-star-motions-Nakano-Satoya-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2025\/04\/SMC-star-motions-Nakano-Satoya-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-507778\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This diagram illustrates how the Large Magellanic Cloud is gravitationally tearing the Small Magellanic Cloud. Each arrow represents a star that the Gaia observatory measured. The length of an arrow represents the star\u2019s movement, and its color indicates the direction of that movement. Arrows in red represent stars being pulled toward the Large Magellanic Cloud, while those in blue show movement in the opposite direction. Image via Satoya Nakano\/ Nagoya University.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Broader implications of this study<\/h3>\n<p>This new study will influence how scientists study the interactions of neighboring galaxies in the early universe. That\u2019s because the Small Magellanic Cloud has, researchers think, properties of early primordial galaxies. <\/p>\n<p>The Small Magellanic Cloud has low-metallicity stars. In other words, most elements found in those stars are hydrogen and a little helium. Moreover, there is a very low level of heavier elements in those stars, elements that could only have been created in previous stars. <\/p>\n<p>The Small Magellanic Cloud also has a low mass and therefore does not have much gravitational force to hold itself tightly. Some scientists think that galaxies in the early universe might have had the same characteristics. (However, observations from the James Webb Space Telescope, revealing massive galaxies in the early universe, may be contradicting that theory.)<\/p>\n<p>The researchers think that Small and Large Magellanic Cloud dynamics might be similar to how galaxies in the early universe interacted with each other billions of years ago. This in turn helps them understand how galaxies evolved over time. <\/p>\n<p>Bottom line: Data from the Gaia observatory show that the Large Magellanic Cloud is ripping apart its smaller neighbor, the Small Magellanic Cloud. Both are small satellite galaxies to our Milky Way galaxy. <\/p>\n<p>Source: Evidence of Galactic Interaction in the Small Magellanic Cloud Probed by Gaia-selected Massive Star Candidates<\/p>\n<p>Via Nagoya University<\/p>\n<p>Read more: Farewell to Gaia after 12 successful years<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"cp-load-after-post\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"post-author\">\n<h4>Shireen Gonzaga<\/h4>\n<p>                    View Articles\n                  <\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-tags\">\n<h6 data-udy-fe=\"text_7c58270d\">About the Author:<\/h6>\n<p>Shireen Gonzaga is a freelance writer who enjoys writing about natural history. She is also a technical editor at an astronomical observatory where she works on documentation for astronomers.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/small-magellanic-cloud-is-being-destroyed-by-larger-neighbor\/?rand=772280\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Large Magellanic Cloud and the Small Magellanic Cloud from the European Southern Observatory\u2019s Paranal Observatory in Chile. They are 2 small galaxies orbiting our large, spiral Milky Way galaxy.&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":795326,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-795325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth-sky"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=795325"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795325\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/795326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=795325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=795325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=795325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}