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Story summary
- Researchers using Gaia data and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope identified 20 metal-poor stars in the Galaxy as remnants of a dwarf galaxy called Loki.
- Eleven stars have prograde orbits and nine retrograde, indicating an early Milky Way merger.
- All are >10 billion years old, share abundances, and lie ~7,000 ly from the Sun.
- Published May 2026, Dr. Federico Sestito said the Loki merger may rival Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus, urging a revision of Milky Way models.
