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Malta Study Maps Milky Way Edge at 40,000 Light-Years

4/30/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Malta researchers defined the Milky Way’s edge at 11.28–12.15 kpc (?40,000 ly).
They analyzed >100,000 giant stars from APOGEE-DR17, LAMOST-DR3 and Gaia.
A U-shaped age trend falls toward the edge then rises beyond it.
Stars beyond the edge are older migrants expelled by spiral-arm or bar gravity.
The cut-off links the Outer Lindblad Resonance, a warp, and gas thinning to a Type-II disc classification shared by ~60 % of galaxies.

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Story summary

Malta researchers defined the Milky Way’s edge at 11.28–12.15 kpc (?40,000 ly).
They analyzed >100,000 giant stars from APOGEE-DR17, LAMOST-DR3 and Gaia.
A U-shaped age trend falls toward the edge then rises beyond it.
Stars beyond the edge are older migrants expelled by spiral-arm or bar gravity.
The cut-off links the Outer Lindblad Resonance, a warp, and gas thinning to a Type-II disc classification shared by ~60 % of galaxies.