Astronomers find 20 Milky Way disk stars possibly from Loki
Technology
Astronomers think the Milky Way might have swallowed up a tiny galaxy called "Loki" way back in the day.
They found 20 stars in our galaxy's disk that are metal-poor and move differently from most stars nearby: hints that these stars could be leftovers from Loki, which merged with us billions of years ago.
Study suggests Loki shaped by supernovas
The research team, coauthored by Federico Sestito, used advanced tools to study these stars' chemistry and orbits.
Their findings suggest Loki was a short-lived galaxy shaped by dramatic events like supernovas but not white dwarf explosions.
This work opens up new ways to spot other hidden galaxies that helped build the Milky Way, giving us a deeper look into our cosmic family tree.