Astronomers have discovered that the Milky Way’s disk is warped and is being distorted by the dark matter halo that surrounds it. Using data from Gaia and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, researchers were able to map out the Milky Way’s stellar disk in unprecedented detail and found evidence of a warped structure. This discovery could explain why the Milky Way’s disk appears to be lopsided and why it is so difficult to observe the galaxy’s outer regions. The findings suggest that the dark matter halo is playing an important role in the shape of the Milky Way, and could provide us with new insights into the formation and evolution of galaxies.

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source: Phys.org