New model of the Milky Way shows our galaxy is warped

NY Post ^ | August 5, 2019 | Mike Wehner, BGR

[BenLurkin]

The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy with curved arms stretching out into space. Most depictions of our galaxy show it as being rather flat, but data from the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment at the university suggests the opposite.

The team, who describe our galaxy as being less a flat disc and more a “wobbly, uncooked pizza crust,” mapped the position of a specific type of star called Cepheids. Cepheids are pulsating stars and it’s easy for researchers to measure the distance between them and Earth. Using data from 2,431 Cepheids, the team was able to create its incredibly detailed map of the Milky Way.

Along with providing the most accurate look at the shape of our galaxy to date, the scientists also learned some interesting things about the stars they spotted along the way. Cepheids, it turns out, tend to be found in groups, and that might mean that they tend to form bursts.

Warped galaxy with the distribution of young stars (Cepheids) in its disk as inferred from the Milky Way Cepheids.
J. Skowron/OGLE/Astronomical Obs

[fieldmarshaldj]

*ping*

[null and void]

After the fuel runs out it coasts along fast enough to add another light year of distance every seven calendar years or so!

Should be;

After the fuel runs out it coasts along fast enough to add another sixth of a light year of distance every seven calendar years or so!