Formation of the Galaxy

Abstract

Current ideas on the formation of the Galaxy are reviewed. Many of the observed characteristics of our Milky Way System are consistent with a scenario in which the Galaxy formed inside out, with the inner part of it evolving by rapid collapse of a single protogalaxy, while the outer halo was accreted over an extended period. A number of possible problems with this "Standard Model" are discussed and summarized in section 5.

To appear in the PASP, November 1996; 46 pages plus 5 figures. Also available at http://www.dao.nrc.ca/DAO/SCIENCE/science.html

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• GeMs/GSAOI observations of La Serena 94: an old and far open cluster inside the solar circle
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