Milky Way Just Got Bigger by 50 Percent, Study

The Milk Way is at least 50 percent bigger than it was earlier thought, a team of scientists concluded after analysing decade-old data.

According to The Huffington Post, the conclusion was made after researchers realized that Milky Way's disc is rippled from the center to the outside, and not flat as was earlier thought. This means what was earlier thought to be the fringe of the galaxy, now extends farther at least until the ring of stars called Monoceros Ring, earlier thought to be detached from Milky Way. This revises the fringe distance from 50,000 light years to 65,000 light years where the ring of stars is said to exist.

This takes the width of Milky Way from the earlier assumed estimate of 100,000 light years to at least 150,000 light years.

Researchers have explained that the rippled nature of galaxy's spirals mean a wavy continuum of stars rather than a flat continuum, which may have prevented scientists from realizing Milky Way's actual size earlier.

According to Discovery News, researchers made their findings based on data collected by Sloan Digital Sky Survey.

Scientists at New York's Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute believe that a dwarf galaxy that merged with Milky Way in the past could have set off the ripples. The waves caused by such mergers or intrusions can result in star formation out of the gas in Milky Way's disc.