Astronomers Uncover Remnants of a Lost Galaxy "Loki" Within the Milky Way

An international team of astronomers has identified 20 extremely metal-poor stars near Earth that may be remnants of a long-lost dwarf galaxy, tentatively named "Loki." These stars, with highly eccentric and flattened orbits close to the Galactic plane, exhibit unusually similar chemical compositions, suggesting they originated from a common environment rather than being part of the Milky Way's halo. The study, published in *Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society*, used high-resolution spectroscopy to analyze their elements, revealing patterns more tightly clustered than those found in typical halo stars. This discovery offers new insights into the early formation and evolution of the Milky Way, highlighting the role of ancient mergers in shaping our galaxy's structure.