Discovery in the Solar System: Milky Way’s Gravity Formed Spiral Structure

Scientists have discovered that the gravitational force of the Milky Way formed a spiral structure in the Oort Cloud. Led by astronomer David Nesvorny from the Southwest Research Institute in the USA, the team conducted a study using NASA’s Pleiades Supercomputer to simulate the 4.6 billion-year evolution of the Solar System. Researchers found an unknown spiral structure in the Oort Cloud. A new computer simulation showed that a massive spiral formed in the inner part of the Oort Cloud due to the gravitational effect of the Milky Way. The Oort Cloud is known as the farthest region of the Solar System, extending up to 100,000 astronomical units (AU) made up of icy rocks. Scientists had long believed that the outer part of the Oort Cloud had a spherical structure, while the inner part was ring-shaped. However, new simulations revealed that this inner structure was actually spiral. According to the study, the gravitational forces of the Milky Way create a spiral structure with a diameter of 15,000 AU in the inner part of the Oort Cloud. This structure emerged in the early stages of the Solar System and has persisted to this day. Scientists note that this new discovery provides important clues about the formation and evolution of the Oort Cloud. This discovery is considered a major step towards unraveling the mysteries of the formation of the Solar System.