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One of the presentations that came out of the AAS was by Nitya Kallivayalil et. al.
Using the Hubble, they measured the radial velocities of the SMC and LMC and found
them to be about twice that of what was previously thought. They then combined these
velocities with their proper motions.
Turns out that the LMC/SMC may not be gravitationally bound after all, but simply
passing by. Either that or the Milky Way is twice the mass as currently believed.
According to the researchers, the relative velocities between the LMC and SMC
also suggest they are not bound to each other.
Best Regards
Gary Kopff
Mt. Kuring-Gai
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