The Atlantic

The Intergalactic Winds That Built the Milky Way

Computer simulations show that powerful streams of gas can leave one galaxy, travel across space, and get absorbed into another.
Source: Courtesy of Fred Herrmann

Even though there’s no air blowing around in space, the cosmos can be a pretty windy place.

Winds made of gas particles whip around galaxies at high speeds, measuring hundreds of kilometers per second. Astronomers suspect they’re created by supernovae, when nearby stars explode and send streams of photons powerful enough to push around gas. This wind can be ejected out of galaxies into intergalactic space. Some of the wind will keep traveling

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Atlantic

The Atlantic7 min readAmerican Government
Could South Carolina Change Everything?
For more than four decades, South Carolina has been the decisive contest in the Republican presidential primaries—the state most likely to anoint the GOP’s eventual nominee. On Saturday, South Carolina seems poised to play that role again. Since the
The Atlantic4 min read
Hayao Miyazaki’s Anti-war Fantasia
Once, in a windowless conference room, I got into an argument with a minor Japanese-government official about Hayao Miyazaki. This was in 2017, three years after the director had announced his latest retirement from filmmaking. His final project was
The Atlantic5 min readAmerican Government
What Nikki Haley Is Trying to Prove
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Nikki Haley faces terrible odds in her home state of

Related Books & Audiobooks