Astronomers find the edge of the Milky Way

(skyandtelescope.org)

67 points | by bookofjoe 5 hours ago

4 comments

  • layer8 2 hours ago
  • dotancohen 2 hours ago
    Is this a non-sequiter or just poorly phrased?

      > Disk galaxies like the Milky Way form stars “inside-out” — starting from the center and working outwards through the disk. So, as a general rule, the farther out astronomers look, the younger the stars are.
    
    Do they meant looking out from Earth (which is actually nearer to the center of a spiral arm than to either end) or out from the galactic bulge. Either way doesn't make sense.
    • malfist 1 hour ago
      When does "starting in the center" mean anything besides "starting in the center"?

      The earth is not the center of the galaxy

    • ww520 20 minutes ago
      Looking from Earth at the stars closer to the center of a galaxy, they are found to be older. Looking from Earth at the stars closer to the edge of a galaxy, they are found to be younger.
    • _factor 2 hours ago
      Poorly phrased. The most recent stars are on the edges. The inner stars were first, hence the “working outwards”.
    • happytoexplain 1 hour ago
      I actually am not following what the ambiguity is - stars farther out from the center are younger, no?
      • kadoban 47 minutes ago
        The Earth isn't the center of the galaxy, so this feels confusing/confused:

        > So, as a general rule, the farther out astronomers look, the younger the stars are.

    • JumpCrisscross 43 minutes ago
      Try: "the farther out [from the center] astronomers look"
    • colechristensen 2 hours ago
      It is beyond obvious what they mean.
    • layer8 2 hours ago
      [dead]
  • neals 2 hours ago
    Just the daily post that makes me feel small and insignificant.
    • dylan604 2 hours ago
      I prefer that feeling much more than the modern sense from social media where everyone is abnormally important
  • yrcyrc 2 hours ago
    Great. Next Laniakea