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World · 18 August 2026

Milky Way devoured a smaller galaxy 11.8 billion years ago, say scientists

Milky Way devoured a smaller galaxy 11.8 billion years ago, say scientists

Our galaxy incorporated a dwarf galaxy, named Low-energy-Kraken-Heracles (LKH), before the universe had reached 15% of its present age. Scientists found the evidence by observing star clusters near the Milky Way's centre using the Hubble and Gaia telescopes. The LKH merger is now the earliest known galactic merger for our home galaxy, marking a key event in its formation.

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