Scientists have confirmed for the first time that the Milky way is braking

In the past 30 years, some theories have predicted that the rotation speed of the galaxy will slow down, but there is no empirical evidence. According to the daily science and technology network 21 daily, the galaxy has a rod spin structure composed of billions of stars. Data and analysis show that since the birth of the rod spin structure, its rotation speed has dropped by a quarter. This is the first time that humans have confirmed the "brake on" of the galaxy by measuring. Astronomers believe that the measurement provides a new understanding of dark matter research, and it is likely that dark matter slows the rotation of the galaxy.

An artistic map of the idea of the galaxy. Tuyuan: daily science and technology network / barbro Carlos Budapest

Researchers from Oxford University and London University, UK, used Gaia space telescope to analyze the data of a group of stars in the rod spin structure of the galaxy, Heracles. The movement of the stars resonates with the rod spin structure, maintaining the same velocity as the rod spin structure around the center of the galaxy. Because the Heracles current is at the Lagrangian point, it is also affected by the gravity of the rod spin structure. In this case, if the rotation speed of rod structure decreases, the stars will gradually be away from the center of the galaxy, so as to coordinate with the rotation speed of the rod spin structure.

The researchers found that the heavy elements (known as "metals" in Astronomy) in the Heracles current can show that they are far from the center of the galaxy. Because of the slow down of the rod spin structure, they are moving outward. Further data and inference show that the rod spin structure, which consists of billions of stars, is equivalent to trillions of solar mass, Since its birth, it has slowed its rotation by at least 24 per cent.

The team believes that the reason for the deceleration is likely to be that dark matter "has brake down.". Astrophysicists have long suspected that the rotation speed of the bar spin structure of the galaxy is slowing down, and now there is evidence available. The reason for the slow rotation of rod structure is dark matter. Scientists used to speculate the existence of dark matter by measuring the difference between the gravitational force of galaxy and visible matter gravity, but this study provides a new means for the future: to understand dark matter through mass

Dark matter is a kind of invisible matter in galaxy, which is proposed theoretically. The phenomena suspected to violate Newton's gravitation found in astronomy observation can be well explained on the premise of assuming the existence of dark matter.

"Our findings provide a 'fascinating' perspective of the nature of dark matter," the co-author said The relevant research was published in the recent monthly journal of Royal astronomy.