By combining data from NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory and the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa, astronomers have created a new cosmic masterpiece showing filaments of superheated gas and magnetic fields weaving an energy tapestry at the center of the Milky Way. Galaxy.
One thread is especially charming because it has annoying X-rays and radio emissions. It points vertically towards the plane Bima Sakti It is about 20 light -years long, but only 100 light -years.
The new galactic center panorama builds on previous surveys from Chandra and other telescopes. This latest release expands Chandra’s high-power offering above and below the Galaxy level – that is, the disk on which most of the Galaxy’s stars reside – compared to previous photography campaigns. In the image shown in our main image, X-rays from Chandra are shown in orange, green, blue and purple, different X-ray energies are shown, and radio data from MeerKAT is shown in purple and gray.
Studies of these threads, and in particular their X-ray and radio properties, show that these features are linked together by thin slices magnetic field. This is similar to what was seen in the previously imagined thread.
These strips can be framed when the magnetic fields collide in different ways, collide, and rotate with each other in the process of reconnecting the magnets. It’s like a miracle that pushes energetic particles out of the sun and is responsible for the space weather that sometimes affects Earth.
Detailed insights into this thread reveal more about the galaxy’s space weather as astronomers across the region witness. Weather is driven by volatile phenomena, including Supernova Explosions, converging stars emitting hot gas, and emission of matter from regions near our galaxy. Black hole.
In addition to the filaments, the images also reveal other wonders that occur at the center of the galaxy. This marvel is a massive plume of hot gas, stretching some 700 light-years above and below the galaxy’s surface, and can be seen here in more detail than ever before.
These columns may represent galactic-scale outflows, which are practically equivalent to particles being pushed away from the Sun. Then the cosmic explosion heated up the gas, which resulted in several new magnetic contacts near the galactic center. Reconnection events in these galaxies are usually inactive enough to be distinguished in light, except for the strongest events at the galactic center, where the interstellar magnetic field is particularly strong.
Events such as magnetic reconnection play an important role in heating interstellar gas. This process also accelerates the particles to produce cosmic rays as observed Soil And drive turbulence in the interstellar medium that leads to the emergence of a new generation of stellar births.
The image reveals that magnetic filaments form at the outer boundary of a large column of hot gas. This indicates that the gas in the column drives magnetic fields that collide to form filaments.
Journal reference:
- Q: Daniel Wang et al. Chandra Large-Scale Mapping of Galactic Center: Examination of high-energy structures around the central molecular region. arxiv.org/abs/2010.02932
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