At first glance, the universe and night sky seem largely unchanging. The reality is very different, even now, a gas cloud is charging toward the Milky Way Galaxy and is expected to crash into us in 27 million years. A team of astronomers hoping to locate the exact position of the expected impact site have been unsuccessful but have accidentally measured the thickness of the Milky Way! Analysing radio data, they have been able to deduce the thickness of the inner and outer regions and discovered a dramatic difference between the two.  The team of astronomers from the US National Science Foundation’s Green Bank Observatory were attempting to study the Smith Cloud. This high velocity cloud of hydrogen gas is located in the constellation Aquila at a distance of somewhere between 36,000 and 45,000 light years. Previous studies from the Green Bank Observatory have shown the cloud contains at least 1 million times the mass of the Sun and measures 9,800 light years long by 3,300 light years wide.  A false-color image of the Smith Cloud made with data from the Green Bank Telescope (GBT). New analysis indicates that it is wrapped in a dark matter halo. Credit: NRAO/AUI/NSF The plan was simple enough, to observe the spot where the cloud is currently interacting with the Milky Way. The observation is tricky enough though as the cloud is on the far side of the Milky Way and there is a lot of stuff in the way! The team, led by Toney Minter used the 20m Green Bank Telescope to search for dust and emissions from hydroxyl molecules (composed of a hydrogen and oxygen molecule.)  What the team expected to see was a difference in composition in the region of the Milky Way interacted with the cloud which, should have very little dust and hydroxyl molecules. Clouds in the Milky Way tend to have both so a difference should be detectable.  The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope. Credit: Jay Young. Minter was candidly open about the study joking ‘I knew there was a low probability that I’d find what I was looking for—and I didn’t,. But this is all part of the scientific process. You learn from what you DO and DON’T find.’ Disappointingly the team did not detect any differences in composition but what they did find was equally as interesting. The study revealed information about the Milky Way itself and the structure of its inner regions. Minter and his team had to look through the Milky Way’s inner regions for their study and what they were able to determine was the thickness of the layer of molecules in the inner Galaxy. The information enabled them to deduce the scale height of the clouds of molecular gas in the inner Milky Way. The results showed that the layer of molecules in the inner region measured 330 light years thick while those in the outer parts measured twice as much, around 660 light years.  The discovery still leaves questions unanswered. The observation certainly shows the difference in thickness between the inner and outer regions but it doesn’t give any clue as to what is driving the difference. Further observations are now required to follow up on this discovery to try and model the underlying process.  Of course one other question remains unanswered and that is the nature and mechanics of the Smith Cloud and how it will impact our own Galaxy. Far from being disappointed though, Minter stated ‘That’s why astronomy is exciting, our knowledge is always evolving’ Source : While Aiming for Massive Gas Cloud, Astronomers Spot Differences in Thickness of Milky Way Galaxy The post The Inner and Outer Milky Way Aren’t the Same Thickness, and that’s Surprising appeared first on Universe Today.

"It gave it another spark." The post ‘Tears Dry On Their Own’: The Amy Winehouse song inspired by ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

No so-called vaccine, probably including covid products, has maimed and killed more adolescents over the past twenty years than Merck’s HPV vaccine – Gardasil. Highlighting a paper titled ‘A reactogenic “placebo” and […]

from The National Pulse: Populist leader Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party is projected to win upcoming snap elections in France. President Emmanuel Macron called the elections after his globalist Renaissance party received only half the populists’ support in elections to the European Parliament. Polling conducted by Toluna Harris Interactive for Challenges, M6, and RTL indicates that National Rally […]

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This grandpa is facing sensory issues, but his granddaughter Yazzy is doing everything she can to make sure his singing talents don’t go to waste. In this clip, she and her grandad performed a cover of Coldplay’s “Yellow” that is sure to make you shed a tear. Yazzy’s grandfather clearly has a beautiful talent. While his sensory issues have created some obstacles, his talents are shining through. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Yazzy Chamberlain (@yazzy_music) His granddaughter clearly has a talent, too. Her voice is shining and beautiful and, not only does she have a talent for singing, but she has a talent for teaching, too. To help her grandpa recover his ability, she’s been slowly teaching him songs to sing alongside her. As she sings with her grandpa, it’s easy to she sees so happy to be his granddaughter. She shared that, at times, he’s been impatient with his abilities. I can imagine that it’s beyond difficult to lose something that at one time was easy. This image is from Instagram. But I’m so glad she’s taken the time to help him bring his talents back to the world. This granddaughter and her grandpa are a special duo, and their singing video is a blessing to everyone who scrolls onto it! This Adorable Pair Is Melting Hearts Viewers shared their sweet opinions on the clip in the comments and it’s safe to say everyone’s heart was touched. “You both have beautiful voices. His was a surprise! Such rich tone. I hope you get to sing together for a long time,” shared one viewer. “IM SOBBING SO HARD THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL,” exclaimed another. If you have a talent, take the time to share it with the world. Whether you’re new or a professional, young or old, celebrating talents is a joy that is better shared. The featured image for this post is from Instagram. The post Granddaughter Sings To Grandpa, Then He Joins In For The Sweetest Duet appeared first on InspireMore.

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