The Milky Way ate another galaxy. Scientists say they’ve found the scraps. Astronomers have dubbed the ancient galaxy Loki, after the Norse god of mischief.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/23/science/milky-way-loki-galaxy

162 points · 13 comments · view on lemmy.world

13 Comments

ztwhixsemhwldvka@lemmy.world · 31 pts · 91d

This is the best lore update since Thea and proto-Earth

backalleycoyote@lemmy.today · 17 pts · 91d

Scientifically accurate rendering of the event:

Tollana1234567@lemmy.today · 9 pts · 90d (1 reply)

andromeda will eat the milky way in <5bn years.

stretch2m@infosec.pub · 5 pts · 90d

I thought it was more of a merger. https://space.fandom.com/wiki/Milkdromeda

MousePotatoDoesStuff@piefed.social · 5 pts · 90d (1 reply)

The Milky Way can have a little galaxy, as a treat

LovableSidekick@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 89d

The other galaxy must have been fun-size.

betanumerus@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 91d (6 replies)
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KingOfSleep@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 91d (4 replies)

What are you talking about? That quote does not appear in the article.

betanumerus@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 90d (3 replies)
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Bonesince1997@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 90d (2 replies)

It reads to me that the event occurred billions of years ago, not the naming.

betanumerus@lemmy.ca · 9 pts · 90d (1 reply)
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postmateDumbass@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 90d

Oh neat the 800th reference to loki this year. What edge.

LovableSidekick@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 90d (1 reply)

Wait, so the Milky Way practices COLONIALISM? Another reason to feel guilty about existing.

partofthevoice@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 90d

The cool thing about the universe is, if that’s how it works, we pretty much just have to accept it. Like game theory. I don’t like game theory on principle that I appreciate when the underdogs win in life. Yet, we live in a universe that often adheres to game theory.

LovableSidekick@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 89d

side trivia: I just learned that "Milky Way" comes from Greek legend. While the goddess Hera was asleep Zeus placed the infant Heracles (aka Hercules to Romans) on her to suckle at her breast. But Hera woke up and flung Heracles away, spraying milk across the sky. In fact the word "galaxy" comes from the Greek word for milk.