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New 'Hobbit' Galaxies Discovered Around Milky Way.
space.com — A recent sky survey has turned up eight new members in our Local Group of galaxies, including a new class of ultra-faint "hobbit" galaxies and what might be the smallest galaxy ever discovered.
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- Chilllllion, on 10/12/2007, -29/+2That's where LOTR took place. LOL. HOBBIT. LOL.
- MiddleGirth, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9Worst comment ever.
- Starch, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10don't tell Peter Jackson, he'll make a 4-hour movie about it
- Moleculor, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Actually, he won't, considering he won't be making The Hobbit, either.
- rodrigo74, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3In a hole in the universe, there lived a hobbit galaxy...
- aragon127, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0They're halfling's not hobbits.
- EricCiccone, on 10/12/2007, -6/+2I bet in a few million years, a lot of these dwarf galaxies are going to "collide" with our galaxy, gravity is going to attract them to us.
- Obvioustroll, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Pretty much, yeah - as I understand it, galaxies grow by absorbing other, smaller galaxies. The milky way is actually in the process of digesting another galaxy right now; but we can't really see it because it's on the far side from us.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/galaxy_gobble_030924.html
- Obvioustroll, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Pretty much, yeah - as I understand it, galaxies grow by absorbing other, smaller galaxies. The milky way is actually in the process of digesting another galaxy right now; but we can't really see it because it's on the far side from us.
- CaptShmo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Smallest galaxy ever discovered huh, maybe we should call it a "Bobbit" galaxy
- Prototek, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I can't think of a better name because everybody knows hobbits are smaller than dwarves.
- albrown123, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7I really wish scientists would stop calling things hobbit this and hobbit that and talking about touching the face of god. It's not science. It's been done. It's derivative and easily misinterpreted by the media. And finally, not everything has to have some stupid pop culture reference. It's okay to have the public work a little harder.
- blackmariah, on 10/12/2007, -12/+5Shut the ***** up, you pathetic dickless *****.
- MiddleGirth, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3I believe it was Reagan who used the phrase "touch the face of God" in the speech regarding the loss of the Challenger astronauts.
Regarding your other complaint, shut up. - sockpuppets, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2How does one ***** a goat with no dick?
- chrisrs, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2One ring nebula to rule them all...
- nobody1357, on 10/12/2007, -6/+0will it blend
- Hazardc, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Will it bury? That is the question.
- Reaganomicon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2You're such a cute little hobbit galaxy! Yes you are! Yes you are!!
- michaelb1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2i get it. They're Hobbitt galaxies since they're small.
- ray901, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1So it seems, and now everything that is small is called a 'hobbit'. I hope these scientists realise that hobbits are not real. Stupid scientists, naming scientific phenomenon after fictional charaters in a fantasy book - the same fictional characters - over and over. Way to stand out from the religious crowd.
- Obvioustroll, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1What I want to know is: WTF is the difference between a "hobbit galaxy" and a globular cluster?
There are definitely clusters within the Milky Way that are larger than these "hobbit galaxies". They are definitely in orbit around the Milky Way, the same as the clusters. They consist almost entirely of old stars - just like clusters. Is the difference merely how far from the core they are?- pavlovscat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Obvioustroll, I'd guess the difference is based on the extent of gravitational attraction holding these systems together. A globular cluster would be far more densely packed per volume of space (cubic light year, parsec, whatever) with stars (and hence more gravitationally bound) than one of these so-called "hobbit galaxies".
- Obvioustroll, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That's certainly a possibility; the article doesn't characterize them.
Good point.
- Ramtech, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1they better stay away from us...
black holes are everywhere..
warping space and time... - polyGone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1gotta love those pop-ups.............in firefox..............
- MadEnvoy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Wonder if this is where Homo Floresiensis, "Hobbits", come from?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3948165.stm
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