SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — It may be disappointing but scientists now say our Milky Way galaxy may actually be only half as massive as they thought. Scientists say that stars in the far outer reaches of the Milky Way are whirling around much slower than they thought. University of California – Santa Cruz researcher Alis Deason, tells the Website Space.com that galactic mass and star velocities are linked, so the slower speeds suggest our 100,000-light-year-wide galaxy is more of a light-weight. She said the study results were a surprise. Deason and her fellow researchers presented their findings at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society earlier this month. But the new study is not necessarily the final word on the Milky Way’s mass, which is not well understood, she said.
Tuesday, Jan. 15, 4 p.m.
