Nearest cluster of stars is being destroyed by an invisible structure in our galaxy

Scientists theorize that an invisible force is destroying the Hyades, an open star cluster in

constellation Taurus, visible to the naked eye,may turn out to be a population of “dark matter subhaloes.” These invisible clouds of particles are believed to be relics of the formation of the Milky Way. Today they are scattered throughout the galaxy, forming an invisible substructure that exerts a noticeable gravitational influence on all objects that drift too close to it.

The true extent of the Hyades tidal tailswas first identified according to the ESA Gaia mission. The Gaia data has allowed the former members of the star cluster (shown in pink) to be traced across the sky. These stars are highlighted in pink, and the shapes of the various constellations are highlighted in green. Image was created using Gaia Sky. Credit: ESA / Gaia / DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO; Credit: S. Jordan / T. Sagrista

Researcher, European SpaceAgency Teresa Dzherabkova and her colleagues at the European Southern Observatory made the discovery by studying how a nearby star cluster merges with the general background of stars in our galaxy. The work is based on the early third edition of Gaia data (EDR3) and data from the second edition.

The team selected Hyades to study because it- the closest star cluster to the Sun. It lies just over 153 light-years from Earth and is easily visible to observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres as bright V-shaped stars.

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