Magellanic Clouds – Return to Andromeda
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The Magellanic Clouds are an oddity. Their relative velocity is suspiciously close to the [escape velocity][2] of the [Milky Way][3] system making it somewhat difficult for them to have been formed as part of the system. Additionally, their direction of motion is nearly perpendicular to the disk of the [galaxy][4] and systems, especially ones as large as the Magellanic Clouds, should show more orientation to the plane if they formed along side. Their gas content is also notably different than other satellite [galaxies][4] of [our galaxy][5]. The combination of these features suggests to some, that the Magellanic Clouds aren’t native to [the Milky Way][3] and were instead intercepted.
But where did they come from? Although the suggestion is not entirely new, [a recent paper][6], accepted to the _Astrophysical Journal Letters_, suggests they may have been captured after a past merger in the [Andromeda][7] Galaxy ([M31][8]).
(…) Read the rest of [Stolen: Magellanic Clouds – Return to Andromeda][9] (370 words)
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(C) jvois for [Universe Today][10], 2010. | [Permalink][9] | [No comment][11] | Add to [del.icio.us][12] Post
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[1]: http://c2431622.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/2007-0917clouds.jpg [2]: http://www.universetoday.com/34051/escape-velocity/ () [3]: http://www.universetoday.com/21563/milky-way/ () [4]: http://www.universetoday.com/30168/galaxies/ () [5]: http://www.universetoday.com/32288/first-extra-galactic-planet-may-have-been-detected/ () [6]: http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/1010/1010.2748v1.pdf [7]: http://www.universetoday.com/19518/andromeda/ () [8]: http://www.universetoday.com/33475/messier-31/ () [9]: http://www.universetoday.com/76168/stolen-magellanic-clouds-return-to-andromeda/ [10]: http://www.universetoday.com [11]: http://www.universetoday.com/76168/stolen-magellanic-clouds-return-to-andromeda/#comments [12]: http://del.icio.us/post?url=http://www.universetoday.com/76168/stolen-magellanic-clouds-return-to-andromeda/&title=Stolen: Magellanic Clouds – Return to Andromeda [13]: http://www.universetoday.com/tag/andromeda/ [14]: http://www.universetoday.com/tag/m31/ [15]: http://www.universetoday.com/tag/magellanic-clouds/ [16]: http://planetozh.com/blog/my-projects/wordpress-plugin-better-feed-rss/ [17]: http://planetozh.com/blog/ [18]: http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1A-OwHcQy6H3mCI7CfuuJIBCufE/0/di [19]: http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1A-OwHcQy6H3mCI7CfuuJIBCufE/0/da [20]: http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1A-OwHcQy6H3mCI7CfuuJIBCufE/1/di [21]: http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/1A-OwHcQy6H3mCI7CfuuJIBCufE/1/da [22]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/universetoday/pYdq?d=yIl2AUoC8zA [23]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/universetoday/pYdq?a=2y7wBsedpXE:G4Fz2ihYSd0:yIl2AUoC8zA [24]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/universetoday/pYdq?d=dnMXMwOfBR0 [25]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/universetoday/pYdq?a=2y7wBsedpXE:G4Fz2ihYSd0:dnMXMwOfBR0 [26]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/universetoday/pYdq?d=7Q72WNTAKBA [27]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/universetoday/pYdq?a=2y7wBsedpXE:G4Fz2ihYSd0:7Q72WNTAKBA [28]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/universetoday/pYdq?i=2y7wBsedpXE:G4Fz2ihYSd0:D7DqB2pKExk [29]: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/universetoday/pYdq?a=2y7wBsedpXE:G4Fz2ihYSd0:D7DqB2pKExk
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