8 Feb 2017

The two Magellanic Clouds appear to be linked by a “stellar” bridge. According to a recent study led by the University of Cambridge and based on data from Gaia, the mission with Italy in the forefront with ASI and INAF

These are the closest galaxies to the Milky Way, and the link between them appears to be even stronger, thanks to a bridge of stars. The Magellanic Clouds are the focus of a recent study led by the University of Cambridge.
The researchers worked on data collected by Gaia, the ESA mission launched in 2013 with the aim of creating a 3D map of the Milky Way, in which Italy is playing a leading role with ASI and INAF. Thanks to Gaia's electronic gaze, the team managed to observe a thin bridge between the two galaxies - something that had only been guessed at in the past.

The bridge, which extends for 43,000 light years, is formed of the RR Lyrae, extremely ancient stars believed to be particularly important for understanding the history of the two Clouds and the Milky Way.
The RR Lyrae bridge is partly formed of stars from the Small Cloud, pulled away from its larger sister some 200 million years ago, when the two dwarf galaxies passed relatively close to each other, and partly from stars subtracted from the Large Cloud on the Milky Way. This unique connection therefore opens new scenarios for investigation into the history of interactions between the two Clouds and with our galaxy.