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How was our galaxy created?
How was our galaxy created?
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This discussion was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by
Kidpid.
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This discussion was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by
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The current understanding of how our galaxy, the Milky Way, was formed is based on scientific theories and observations. According to the prevailing cosmological model known as the Big Bang theory, the universe began approximately 13.8 billion years ago as a singularity and has been expanding ever since.
As the universe expanded, regions of slightly higher density formed, and gravity caused matter to clump together within these regions. Over time, these clumps of matter grew larger due to gravitational attraction, forming structures called protogalactic clouds.
Within these protogalactic clouds, gas and dust accumulated, and the force of gravity continued to cause the matter to condense. As the clouds collapsed, they began to spin, forming rotating disks. This process is known as angular momentum conservation.
The collapsing gas and dust within the protogalactic cloud eventually formed a central concentration called a galactic bulge, which consists of older stars. The remaining material in the disk formed the galactic disk, where most of the younger stars, gas, and dust reside. The galactic disk is where the majority of star formation takes place.
Within the galactic disk, small clumps of gas and dust known as molecular clouds further collapsed under their own gravity. The densest regions within these molecular clouds became sites of active star formation, giving rise to individual stars and stellar clusters. These newly formed stars, along with the remnants of older stars, populate the Milky Way galaxy.
The formation of galaxies, including the Milky Way, is a complex and ongoing process that involves various astrophysical phenomena, such as supernova explosions, stellar evolution, and interactions between galaxies. Scientists continue to study and refine our understanding of galaxy formation through observations, computer simulations, and theoretical models.
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