Huge Hydrogen Cloud Will Hit Milky Way

diewlasing points us to a story about a hydrogen cloud, eleven thousand light-years long, which will collide with the Milky Way in a devastating crossfire of shock waves and star formation...in 20-40 million years. Mark your calendars. At least it will give us something to watch while we're waiting for Andromeda to hit us in a few billion years. Hopefully, it will look at least this cool. "The detailed GBT study dramatically changed the astronomers' understanding of the cloud. Its velocity shows that it is falling into the Milky Way, not leaving it, and the new data show that it is plowing up Milky Way gas before it as it falls. 'Its shape, somewhat similar to that of a comet, indicates that it's already hitting gas in our Galaxy's outskirts,' Lockman said. 'It is also feeling a tidal force from the gravity of the Milky Way and may be in the process of being torn apart. Our Galaxy will get a rain of gas from this cloud, then in about 20 to 40 million years, the cloud's core will smash into the Milky Way's plane,' Lockman explained."

Comments

Re:I don't think it means what you think it means.

[ijakings]

The same can be true of other large Gaseous bodies. The last time someone lit a match when Steve Ballmer was in the room caused an explosion that is thought to have left at least 8 people with injuries. It appears the explosion caused a stockpile of chairs to be hurled at the developers, at least thats what the "official" Microsoft press release said.