The Milky Way as a Cannibal
The above images are taken from two animations made from the same simulation
of a satellite being torn apart by the Milky Way's tidal field. The simulations
followed the satellite's evolution for several billion years. In the both
images, the Milky Way is represented in blue in the center, with the satellite
orbiting around it. The satellite itself appears much larger than it really
is in these animations because the images were colored to emphasize the
structure of the debris. The one on the left has been color coded to show
the density of stars being stripped from the satellite. Click here
to
see this movie (1.7 Mbyte MPEG animation.) or here
to
see a selection of frames (0.02 Mbyte). The one on the right has been color
coded with the time when particles are lost from the satellite (ie the
particles that are lost the first time the satellite goes around the Galaxy
are shown in red, and each subsequent time in green, blue, yellow....)
Click here to see the movie (1.7 Mbyte MPEG animation.)
or here
to see a selection of frames (0.02 Mbyte)
from the movie.
Kathryn V. Johnston