NASA: A Monstrous Cloud Is Headed Back To Our Galaxy
- 8 years ago
The Smith Cloud is a humongous collection of hydrogen that likely emanated from the Milky Way some 70 million years ago. It just might be returning--in about 30 million years.
A massive cloud of hydrogen is hurtling toward the Milky Way at close to 700,000 miles per hour--boomeranging back to where it likely originated.
The Smith Cloud was discovered by Gail Smith in the 1960s through the detection of radio waves being emitted by the cosmic bundle of hydrogen.
Recent analyses based on reading from the Hubble Space Telescope suggest that the cloud emanated from the outer edge of the Milky Way some 70 million years ago.
Andrew Fox, with the Space Telescope Science Institute, said, “The cloud is an example of how the galaxy is changing with time.
A massive cloud of hydrogen is hurtling toward the Milky Way at close to 700,000 miles per hour--boomeranging back to where it likely originated.
The Smith Cloud was discovered by Gail Smith in the 1960s through the detection of radio waves being emitted by the cosmic bundle of hydrogen.
Recent analyses based on reading from the Hubble Space Telescope suggest that the cloud emanated from the outer edge of the Milky Way some 70 million years ago.
Andrew Fox, with the Space Telescope Science Institute, said, “The cloud is an example of how the galaxy is changing with time.