U-M Astronomers Find 87 Stellar Streams in Milky Way

University of Michigan

Only 18 such "stellar streams"-objects that can help reveal clues about dark matter and the Milky Way's evolution-had been known previously

This image from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey shows an example of a stellar stream. Against a backdrop of scattered stars, an orange arc traces out the orbital path of a globular cluster, which appears as a prominent white orb toward the lower right side of the arc. The arc, which is highlighted with an added yellow arrow, is made up of stars pulled from the cluster, known as Palomar 5. — A new algorithm from the University of Michigan has helped discover 87 new potential stellar streams. This image from 2002 shows a well-known stream (highlighted with the yellow arrow) being left by the globular cluster Palomar 5 (seen as the white circle). Image credit: Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Study: StarStream on Gaia: Stream discovery and mass loss rate of globular clusters (DOI: 10.3847/1538-4365/ae471f)

Stellar streams are trails of stars that astronomers can study to solve mysteries about the history of our Milky Way galaxy and, potentially, the dark matter that helps shape the cosmos despite eluding direct observation.

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Only 18 such "stellar streams"-objects that can help reveal clues about dark matter and the Milky Way's evolution-had been known previously

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