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Milky Way a galactic cannibal |
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| Study
shows galaxy is growing, gobbling up neighboring star system |
By Fariss Samarrai
Chicken
Little was right. The sky is falling. Thousands of stars stripped
from the nearby Sagittarius dwarf galaxy are streaming through our
vicinity of the Milky Way galaxy, according to a new view of the
local universe constructed by a team of astronomers from the University
of Virginia and the University of Massachusetts.
Using
volumes of data from the Two-Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS), a major
project to survey the sky in infrared light led by the University
of Massachusetts, the astronomers are answering questions that have
baffled scientists for decades and proving that our own Milky Way
is consuming one of its neighbors in a dramatic display of ongoing
galactic cannibalism.
The
study, to be published in the Dec. 20 issue of the Astrophysical
Journal, is the first to map the full extent of the Sagittarius
galaxy and show in visually vivid detail how its debris wraps around
and passes through our Milky Way. Sagittarius is 10,000 times smaller
in mass than the Milky Way, so it is getting stretched out, torn
apart and gobbled up by the bigger Milky Way. Full
story.
Pease drumming up interest in band
By Jane Ford
William
Pease has a game plan for U.Va.’s new marching band, but coming
up with the plays will be up to the students.
During
a visit to Grounds in late September, Pease told more than 50 students
that he is looking to them and others to take leadership roles.
Students
will be involved in all areas: deciding when practices are held;
acting as section leaders, color guard captains and drum majors;
designing drills; selecting and composing music; helping select
instruments; setting up a Web site; writing the rule book; and helping
decide what the uniforms will look like. Full
story.
Board targets
funding for pay, research
By Carol Wood
Following
a difficult three years laden with hefty state budget cuts and no
state salary increases, the University’s Board of Visitors
delivered some good news Saturday morning during its policy discussion
on compensation and research issues.
First
came approval of $3.5 million (which includes benefits) for targeted
faculty and classified staff salary adjustments, to be effective
Nov. 25. These are in addition to the 2.25 percent increase already
authorized by the state.
Second
was approval to invest $60 million for research, including $40 million,
in concept, for the first phase of a creative initiative meant to
bolster the University’s status as a top-ranked research institution,
and $20 million toward construction of MR-6, the planned medical
research facility that already had been earmarked to receive state
bond referendum funds of $24.2 million. Full
story.
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