Astronomers say they have identified the most distant stars ever discovered in the Milky Way. The announcement includes the largest star ever discovered from Earth, more than a million light years away, according to information from the University of California Santa Cruz in the United States.
The discovery includes 208 stars, called RR Lyrae, which are noted for their luminosity, according to the foundation.
Since they are located on the galactic edge, in the so-called “halo” (approximately halfway to the neighboring Andromeda galaxy, 2.5 million light-years away), they allow measurements of the Milky Way to be more easily measured.
In a university statement, the institution’s professor and director of astronomy and astrophysics, Raja Guathakurta, said the study “redefines what constitutes the outer limits of our galaxy” and that the Milky Way and Andromeda “do the same.” . So big that there is almost no space between them.”
The scientist also pointed out that the halo is the place where the oldest stars in the galaxy are located and extends for hundreds of thousands of light years in all directions.
“The way the brightness changes resembles an electrocardiogram. It’s like the heartbeat of a galaxy. The brightness increases rapidly and decreases slowly, and the cycle repeats itself perfectly with this very distinctive shape,” he said in the statement.
The discoveries came from data collected by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), located on the island of Hawaii.
