Scientists discover dwarf galaxy 'Loki' that was absorbed by the Milky Way billions of years ago

Exam-focused facts from the 13 May 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Scientists discovered a dwarf galaxy named Loki, after the Norse god of trickery, that was likely consumed by the Milky Way billions of years ago.
The findings were published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The discovery was made by examining 20 metal-poor stars located on the Milky Way's galactic plane.
The stars' chemical composition and orbital movements differed from other metal-poor stars, and they contained traces of heavy elements from supernovas and neutron star mergers but no white dwarfs.
Researchers concluded the stars originated from a short-lived dwarf galaxy, but noted that a larger dataset is required to fully confirm Loki's existence and structure.