Tech UPTechnologyThey find a huge hole in the Milky Way

They find a huge hole in the Milky Way

We can see its location in the image that accompanies this article. It is a huge spherical cavity in our galaxy. Scientists have found that the Perseus and Taurus molecular clouds (dense clouds of cold gas and dust where stars form) in blue and red, respectively, are adjacent to the cavity and far apart, leaving an empty space or hole. These molecular clouds are about 400 to 1,000 light years distant from Earth.

The space between the stars is not completely empty; there are clouds of gas and dust floating in the immense darkness of the cosmos. The curious thing about this spherical hole is that it extends for almost 500 light years (about 150 parsecs), but how did it come about? What formed this void?

 

Gaia data to create 3D maps of the void

Thanks to observational advances in recent years, experts have been able, thanks to data from the Gaia mission, “to analyze 3D spatial structure and the thickness of the famous nearby star-forming regions for the first time” , which it provides “an unprecedented insight into the origins and fates of molecular clouds in the interstellar medium,” experts say.

Researchers believe that the cavity, dubbed the Per-Tau Shell, was formed by an ancient supernova or a series of similar events about 10 million years ago. It is likely that this phenomenon compressed and triggered the formation of stars in the two molecular clouds. And, therefore, it would have created both the shell and the molecular clouds.

“Hundreds of stars are forming or already exist on the surface of this giant bubble ,” commented theoretical astrophysicist Shmuel Bialy of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). “We have two theories: either a supernova exploded in the core of this bubble and pushed the gas outward forming what we now call the ‘Perseus-Taurus Super Shell’, or a series of supernovae that occurred over millions of years created it over time. “.

This finding suggests that the Perseus and Taurus molecular clouds are not independent structures in space. Rather, they formed together from the same supernova shock wave. “This shows that when a star dies, its supernova generates a chain of events that can ultimately lead to the birth of new stars,” explains Bialy.

 

That means the starbursts could set off a chain reaction that ultimately leads to the creation of their own descendants.

“We have been able to see these clouds for decades, but we never knew their true shape, depth or thickness,” he clarifies. Catherine Zucker, a postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. “We were also not sure how far apart the clouds were. We now know where they are with only 1% uncertainty, which allows us to discern this gap between them.”

At our reach

The new study marks the first time that the journal of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) has published an augmented reality visualization of astronomy. Scientists and the general public can manipulate the 3D visualization of the spherical cavity and the surrounding molecular clouds simply by scanning the QR code with a smartphone.

Experts anticipate future scientific articles that typically include high-quality audio, video, and visuals, making it easier for all readers to better understand the science presented.

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