@into.space.7: Our galaxy has been eating other galaxies. 🍽️ For billions of years, the Milky Way has steadily grown larger by absorbing smaller galaxies and breaking them apart. Here's how we know: when a small galaxy approaches, the Milky Way's gravity tears it to shreds. The stars from that galaxy get pulled in and dispersed across our sky. Scientists can still detect these "leftover" stars today because they exhibit different movements compared to the other stars in our galaxy. One notable example is Gaia-Enceladus. Approximately 10 billion years ago, this small galaxy collided with the young Milky Way, got torn apart, and now thousands of its stars are still wandering around us, moving in unusual paths that differ from everything else. This phenomenon is ongoing. Currently, a small galaxy known as Sagittarius is being ripped apart by the Milky Way, leaving behind a trail of stars like a ribbon in space. And in a few billion years, our galaxy is set to collide with our neighbor, Andromeda. So, the next time you gaze at the stars, keep in mind — some of them may not have originated as "ours" at all. 🌠 Does that change how you see the night sky? 👇

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Sunday 23 August 2026 05:55:52 GMT