astralavista

New research published in the Astrophysical Journal shows that the Milky Way is likely much bigger than previously thought. Current estimates put its size at 100,000 light-years across. However, the new measurements show that our galaxy could be double the size.
The new data comes from precise measurements of our cosmic cousin, the spiral galaxy NGC 300, some 6 million light years away. Using an eight-meter telescope in Chile, the scientists made extremely sensitive measurements of faint stars residing on the galaxy's fringes. To their surprise, the faint stars went on and on, and finally tracing the edge of the galaxy at 47,000 light years from the galactic center, twice removed from where they thought it wash. "Our galaxy is much more massive and brighter than NGC 300," said Joss Bland-Hawthorn, astrophysics professor at the Anglo-Australian Observatory and the paper's lead author. "So on this basis, our Galaxy is also probably much larger than we previously thought - perhaps as much as 200,000 light-years across."