How Was the Modern Milky Way Born?

When we scan the heavens with giant telescopes we see galactic cannibalism everywhere. We see moments that appear frozen on the human timescale, but are really snapshots of the incredibly violent process of galaxy formation. This is how all galaxies are made.

We can piece together a pretty good understanding of this process from countless snapshots. Looking into the distance means looking into the past, so it’s possible to stitch together a Frankenstein flip book of galaxy evolution.