The Gaia Space Telescope, operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), has the mission of surveying our own Milky Way Galaxy to provide the most complete 3D map to date. Stellar streams — trails of stars remnant from other galaxies absorbed by our own — have been observed as early as 1994's Sagittarius Stream and continue to be studied today. A recent study suggests that GD-1, a well studied stream, may be influenced by a dark matter clump.
Join us this week as Mike explores how stellar streams could reveal dark matter.
If you have questions you would like answered on Astro Brief, email them to Dr. Mike Reed at mikereed@missouristate.edu.
Astro Brief is a collaboration between KSMU, the Missouri Space Grant, and MSU's Department of Physics, Astronomy and Materials Science. Hosted by Dr. Mike Reed, Astro Brief focuses on astronomical events, the field of astronomy, and astronomy-related guests. It airs Thursdays at 9:45 am on KSMU.