An object visible in space could be two galaxies, not one as believed

The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is one of the most distant objects in space that can be seen with the naked eye from Earth without the need to use any special equipment. (You may also be interested in: This type of ant produces its own antibiotic to treat its wounds.)

It is an irregular galaxy (without the same shape as the other three types of galaxies: elliptical, spiral, or lenticular) that is about 200,000 light-years from the Milky Way and is usually visible from the southern hemisphere.

A recently approved article The Astrophysical Journal It raises the possibility that there is not one object, as has always been believed, but two.

This hypothesis is supported by new observational data collected by the researchers, who primarily used Australian Square Kilometer Series Pathfinder, a radio telescope located in Australia. According to the study, the highest quality observations of this galaxy would have “confused” us and were actually two objects seen together from Earth because they were exaggerated. (We recommend: They propose a new method for classifying habitable planets in the universe)

The new evidence, which builds a model for calculating the distance between the SMC gas and what other matter might be, comes at a time when the International Astronomical Union (IAU) is considering the possibility of changing the name of these galaxies at the request of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). of some scientists. They feel that the Portuguese sailor they are named after, Ferdinand Magellan, was not actually their discoverer and enslaved indigenous people during his voyages, so he does not deserve recognition.

If a decision is made to change its name, additional evidence can be gathered to determine whether there should be only one new name created or two, objects that are separate but which we perceive as one. They are so close to each other that they are observed from Earth with each other.

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