Our Growing, Breathing Galaxy

Long assumed to be a relic of the distant past, the Milky Way turns out to be a dynamic, living object

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

00

High-Velocity Clouds. Bart P. Wakker and Hugo van Woerden in Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol. 35, pages 217¿266; September 1997.

A Confirmed Location in the Galactic Halo for the High-Velocity Cloud "Chain A." Hugo van Woerden, Ulrich J. Schwarz, Reynier F. Peletier, Bart P. Wakker and Peter M. W. Kalberla in Nature, Vol. 400, pages 138¿141; July 8, 1999. Available online at arXiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9907107

Accretion of Low-Metallicity Gas by the Milky Way. Bart P. Wakker, J. Chris Howk, Blair D. Savage, Hugo van Woerden, Steve L. Tufte, Ulrich J. Schwarz, Robert Benjamin, Ronald J. Reynolds, Reynier F. Peletier and Peter M. W. Kalberla in Nature, Vol. 402, No. 6760; pages 388¿390; November 25, 1999

The Formation and Evolution of the Milky Way. Cristina Chiappini in American Scientist, Vol. 89, No. 6, pages 506-515; November-December 2001.

A Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer Survey of Molecular Hydrogen in Intermediate-Velocity Clouds in the Milky Way Halo. P. Richter, B. P. Wakker, B. D. Savage and K. R. Sembach in Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 586, No. 1, pages 230¿248; March 20, 2003. arXiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0211356

Highly Ionized High-Velocity Gas in the Vicinity of the Galaxy. K. R. Sembach, B. P. Wakker, B. D. Savage, P. Richter, M. Meade, J. M. Shull, E. B. Jenkins, G. Sonneborn and H. W. Moos in Astrophysical Journal, Supplement Series, Vol. 146, No. 1, pages 165¿208; May 2003.

Scientific American Magazine Vol 290 Issue 1This article was published with the title “Our Growing, Breathing Galaxy” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 290 No. 1 ()
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican012004-4eeuCeRjgYFURfcIKNnR9c

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American

Subscribe