By Ron Cowen
The Milky Way has been at it again. Astronomers have found evidence that our home galaxy is tearing apart and swallowing a nearby collection of stars—most likely the remains of a dwarf galaxy. The galactic violence would be the latest confirmed act of cannibalism by the Milky Way (SN: 4/22/00, p. 261: Available to subscribers at Milky Way feasts on its neighbors). Galaxies commonly grow by eating each other.
Some 30,000 light-years from Earth, the collection of stars lies within the Milky Way but differs in velocity and shape from that of other known galaxy components. Containing several hundred thousand stars, the group spans a swath of sky larger than any galaxy beyond the Milky Way.