Today: 22 August 2025
1 December 2023
2 mins read

Astronomers find giant stream of stars running between galaxies

With large future telescopes, the researchers not only hope to discover new giant streams, they also want to zoom in on the Giant Coma Stream itself…reports Asian Lite News

An international team of researchers has discovered the largest-ever giant and extremely faint stream of stars running between galaxies.

The observations were made with University of California-Los Angeles astronomer Michael Rich’s relatively small 70-centimetre telescope in the US and using the 4.2-metre William Herschel telescope at La Palma, Spain.

After image processing, they saw an extremely faint stream more than 10 times the length of our Milky Way.

Named the Giant Coma Stream, it appeared to float in the middle of the cluster environment, not associated with any galaxy in particular, said the researchers in the paper published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

“This giant stream crossed our path by coincidence,” said lead researcher Javier Roman, associated with the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and the University of La Laguna in Spain.

“We were studying halos of stars located around large galaxies.”

The discovery of the Giant Coma Stream is remarkable because it is a rather fragile structure amid a hostile environment of mutually attracting and repelling galaxies.

“Meanwhile, we have been able to simulate such huge flows in the computer. We therefore expect to find more of them. For example, if we search with the future 39-metre ELT and when Euclid starts producing data,” said co-author Reynier Peletier from University of Groningen.

With large future telescopes, the researchers not only hope to discover new giant streams, they also want to zoom in on the Giant Coma Stream itself.

“We would love to observe individual stars in and near the stream and learn more about dark matter,” Peletier said.

The Coma Cluster is one of the best-studied clusters of galaxies. It contains thousands of galaxies at a distance of about 300 million light-years from Earth in the direction of the northern constellation Coma Berenices.

In 1933, Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky showed that the galaxies in the cluster move too fast if you only take the amount of visible matter into account. He figured out that there must be dark matter that keeps things together. The exact nature of dark matter is still unknown.

ALSO READ-Astronomers detect new planet orbiting Proxima Centauri

Previous Story

Gaza Conflict Sparks Diplomatic Row Between Spain and Israel

Next Story

WhatsApp launches secret code for chat lock

Latest from -Top News

US sanctions more ICC judges

Washington hits at The Hague with fresh sanctions on four ICC judges and prosecutors, including French and Canadian officials, over probes targeting Israel and US actions abroad….reports Asian Lite News The United

UAE Wows Osaka!

The UAE Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka celebrates its three millionth visitor, blending culture, innovation, and hospitality in an immersive showcase of heritage, sustainability, and forward-looking global vision….reports Asian Lite News The

MBS & Sisi talk ties, Palestine

The two leaders reviewed the historic and strategic relations between Riyadh and Cairo and explored new ways to bolster cooperation…reports Asian Lite News Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister HRH Mohammed bin

Dubai’s startup supernova

Marking its 10th year, Expand North Star cements Dubai’s role as a global hub for digital innovation, uniting startups, unicorns, and investors to shape the future economy….reports Asian Lite News Expand North

Qatar: Syria’s stability key to region

Qatar, speaking for the Arab Group at the UN, urged unity and sovereignty for Syria as regional diplomacy, UN warnings, and fragile ceasefires highlight a precarious crossroads….reports Asian Lite News Qatar, speaking
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Astronomers detect new planet orbiting Proxima Centauri

Proxima b was discovered a few years ago using the