NASA Hubble Uncovers Ancient Galactic Merger

• Astronomers have identified evidence of a major collision between the young Milky Way and a dwarf galaxy named LKH, occurring approximately 12 billion years ago.
• The discovery, published in Nature Astronomy, extends the known timeline of Milky Way history by 1.8 billion years.
• The findings were confirmed through a detailed study of globular star clusters using data from the Hubble Space Telescope.

The Discovery

• Analysis of globular star clusters provided the critical evidence needed to verify this early-stage galactic merger.
• This event took place during the nascent phases of our galaxy's evolution, fundamentally shifting current understanding of its timeline.

Scientific Context

• The study leverages long-term observational data from the Hubble Space Telescope.
• This research allows scientists to trace the history of the Milky Way 1.8 billion years further back than previous estimates allowed.