Tracing the Milky Way’s Warp: A New Chemical Clue

The study explores the Milky Way's warp—a twist in its disk—using the chemical composition (metallicity) of over 170,000 stars. Researchers found that the galaxy's north-south metallicity asymmetry mirrors its warp, offering a new tracer to map this structure. Their results align with previous studies of young stars and overcome limitations of traditional methods like star motions.