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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Ian Sample Science editor

Milky Way flipped in collision with dwarf galaxy 10bn years ago, astronomers say

Milky way the Milky Way Durham Durham University
Stars glow in the night-time sky above the dark lake, with rocky slopes and trees silhouetted in the background.
The Milky Way galaxy and stars over Emerald Lake in the Lassen Volcanic national park, California. Photograph: John Sirlin/Alamy

Astronomers have found evidence that the Milky Way was flipped on its side following a direct hit from a wayward galaxy long before the solar system was born.

The cataclysmic collision took place about 10bn years ago when the Milky Way was struck head-on by an incoming dwarf galaxy known – for purely astronomical reasons – as the Gaia Sausage.

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