A new structural component of the Milky Way

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) announced the discovery of a previously unknown component of the Milky Way - the disk of young stars, hidden behind thick dust clouds.

The discovery was made in the course of mapping the stars provisions relating to the type Cepheids - the class of pulsating variable stars with a fairly accurate period-luminosity dependence. The observations were made using a wide-angle telescope VISTA, where multiple images are obtained of the central regions of the galaxy in the infrared wavelength range.

By studying the data collected, astronomers have found 655 candidates Cepheids - these stars pulsate periodically, ie, expand and contract, and significantly change their luster. The cycle of these changes range from a few days to several months.

In bright pulsation period of Cepheids is greater than that of the weak. This relation between period and luminosity of the star, opened in 1908, performed with great precision. This fact makes the observations of Cepheids one of the most effective ways to measure the distance to distant objects in the Milky Way and beyond, and to map the areas where these facilities are located.
This Cepheids are divided into two main classes, the stars of one of which is much younger than the other stars. Examining a sample of 655 stars, the astronomers determined that 35 of them belong to a subclass of classical Cepheids - bright young stars that are very different from the usual, much of old the inhabitants of the bulge (central spherical subsystem) of the Milky Way.

After analyzing the information about the brightness and the pulsation period of Cepheids these classic, scientists came to the conclusion that they are very young. All 35 light detection younger than 100 million years, and some of them may have an age of about 25 million years. Astronomers do not exclude the possible existence of even more young and bright Cepheids.

Age discovered classical Cepheids is strong evidence for the existence of previously unknown permanent during the last 100 million years, a source of new stars in the center of the Milky Way.
Moreover, by placing the card found Cepheids, experts have traced the outlines of an entirely new structural element of the Milky Way - a thin disk of young stars, crosses the galactic bulge. This new component of our galaxy went unnoticed in previous surveys of the sky, as it was hidden by dense dust clouds.