Astronomers find the edge of the Milky Way

▲ Astronomers find the edge of the Milky Way(skyandtelescope.org)

71 points by bookofjoe 6 hours ago | 13 comments

▲ layer8 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Better, adblocker-friendly article (original press release): https://www.um.edu.mt/newspoint/learn/2026/theedgeofthemilky...

Paper: https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2026/04/aa58144-...

▲ dotancohen 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Is this a non-sequiter or just poorly phrased?

  > Disk galaxies like the Milky Way form stars “inside-out” — starting from the center and working outwards through the disk. So, as a general rule, the farther out astronomers look, the younger the stars are.

Do they meant looking out from Earth (which is actually nearer to the center of a spiral arm than to either end) or out from the galactic bulge. Either way doesn't make sense.

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_factor 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Poorly phrased. The most recent stars are on the edges. The inner stars were first, hence the “working outwards”.

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ww520 an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Looking from Earth at the stars closer to the center of a galaxy, they are found to be older. Looking from Earth at the stars closer to the edge of a galaxy, they are found to be younger.

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malfist 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

When does "starting in the center" mean anything besides "starting in the center"?

The earth is not the center of the galaxy

	▲	assimpleaspossi an hour ago \| parent [-]
		He didn't say that. He said earth is nearer to the center of a spiral arm.

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happytoexplain 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I actually am not following what the ambiguity is - stars farther out from the center are younger, no?

	▲	kadoban 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		The Earth isn't the center of the galaxy, so this feels confusing/confused: > So, as a general rule, the farther out astronomers look, the younger the stars are.

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JumpCrisscross 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Try: "the farther out [from the center] astronomers look"

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colechristensen 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

It is beyond obvious what they mean.

▲ neals 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Just the daily post that makes me feel small and insignificant.

	▲	dylan604 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I prefer that feeling much more than the modern sense from social media where everyone is abnormally important

▲ yrcyrc 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Great. Next Laniakea