The Milky Way devoured a smaller galaxy about 11.8 billion years ago

WASHINGTON, Aug 18 : The Milky Way, a large and spiral-shaped galaxy that is home to hundreds of billions of stars including our sun, has taken a long and complicated path to achieve its current dimensions, as illustrated by new research documenting a milestone event early in its history.Scientists observing clusters of stars congregated near the Milky Way's center have discovered evidence that our galaxy swallowed a smaller galaxy roughly 11.8 billion years ago, when the universe was less than 15 per cent of its current age. The event represents the Milky Way's earliest-known galactic merger and shows how it grew not only by forming its own stars but by merging with smaller galaxies caught in its gravitational pull.The smaller galaxy is classified as a dwarf galaxy, differentiating it fro