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galactic halo
(redirected from Halo star)

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galactic halo

In astronomy, a nearly spherical volume of thinly scattered stars, globular clusters, and tenuous gas observed surrounding spiral galaxies. It may extend far beyond the disk and contain most of the galaxy's mass. The halo of the Milky Way Galaxy is thought to have a radius greater than 100,000 light-years and to be predominantly composed of dark matter.

galactic halo [gə′lak·tik ′hā·lō]
(astronomy)
The spherical distribution of oldest stars that are centered about the galactic center of the Milky Way Galaxy.
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The relative youth of many of Andromeda's halo stars suggests that an intruder crashed into the galaxy some 8 billion years ago, hurling young stars from Andromeda's central disk into the halo.
Image reveals galaxy's violent past. (Starry View) by Cowen, R. / Science News
Already studying a larger catalog of halo stars, Timothy C.
Star streams reveal galaxy's dining habits by Cowen, R. / Science News
In a new study analyzing highly accurate measurements of the position and velocity of 41 halo stars near the sun, B.
Hipparcos finds hint of star streams by Cowen, R. / Science News
 
 
 
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