Dark Matter is Slowing Down the Milky Way

The video explores the complex dynamics of galaxies, focusing on the Milky Way's Galactic bar and the Hercules stream. It explains how dark matter influences these structures, causing the Galactic bar to slow down by 24% since the Milky Way's formation. The video delves into angular momentum, star composition, and metallicity to understand star movements. It introduces a new method for studying dark matter's effects on galactic dynamics, offering insights into the universe's structure.

What is the primary reason the Milky Way is classified as a barred spiral galaxy?

• Presence of a Galactic bar

• Its size and shape

• The number of stars it contains

• Its distance from Earth

How does the slowing down of the Galactic bar affect the Hercules stream?

• It causes the stream to speed up

• It causes the stream to slow down and drift away

• It causes the stream to move closer to the galaxy's center

• It has no effect on the stream

What is angular momentum dependent on?

• Only the mass of the object

• The object's mass, velocity, and orbit radius

• The temperature of the object

• The distance from the galaxy's center

What method did researchers use to track star movement over billions of years?

• Tracking star color changes

• Measuring star temperature

• Analyzing star composition

• Observing star brightness

What role does dark matter play in the slowing down of the Galactic bar?

• It speeds up the Galactic bar

• It changes the shape of the Galactic bar

• It absorbs the bar's angular momentum

• It has no effect on the Galactic bar