Astronomers have discovered a star so speedy that it will eventually leave the Milky Way and venture into the void of intergalactic space.
Using the Multiple Mirror Observatory in Tucson, Ariz., researchers measured the velocity of the star by recording the shift of its light toward longer, redder wavelengths. Traveling the distance between Cleveland and New York City each second, the star is moving twice as fast as the velocity required to escape the Milky Way’s gravity.