The Milky Way galaxy travels through space at 600 kilometers per second relative to the cosmic microwave background, pulled along by the immense gravitational forces of massive structures like the Great Attractor. As it makes this high-speed journey, its outer stellar disk does not sit perfectly flat; instead, it undergoes a slow, wave-like vertical oscillation where stars and gas ripple up and down. This warped, vibrating motion across opposite sides of the disk closely resembles a giant butterfly flapping its wings, a cosmic distortion that scientists believe is triggered by ongoing gravitational tugs from nearby satellite galaxies and invisible halos of dark matter.
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