American scientists stitched together 370 separate images and observations of the center of our galaxy in different spectra (mainly X-ray), obtaining an image of unprecedented clarity and completeness. An unknown energy source is visible in this mosaic, the Chandra X-ray Observatory press service writes.
The center of the Galaxy is relatively close to us, but it is not easy to study it: it is hidden behind a massive layer of dust and gas, and only X-ray and some radio telescopes can “look” there, according to the data from which the structure of this region is modeled.
In the new panorama next to the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A * in the center of the Galaxy, several “clumps” of matter are visible, emitting in the X-ray spectrum.
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In the mosaic below with captions, various X-rays of different energies (orange, green, purple) are combined with radio data from the MeerKAT telescope (purple and gray). All versions of this snapshot in two formats and without signatures are available here.
Astronomers were intrigued by a single strand of energy (G0.17-0.41) spanning 20 light years, where X-rays and radio emission are intertwined. It is located perpendicular to the plane of the galaxy, its width is only 1% of the length:
Astronomer Daniel Wong of the University of Massachusetts Amherst believes the phenomenon is due to thin stripes of magnetic fields that could have formed when magnetic fields of opposite signs collided and began to twist around each other in a process called magnetic reconnection. At the same time, a huge amount of energy is released.
“It’s like solar flares: magnetic disturbances on the Sun drive away high-energy particles and are responsible for space weather, which sometimes affects the Earth,” the scientist explained.
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The article also reports on huge plumes of hot gas extending over 700 sv. years above and below the plane of the galaxy, and are visible here in greater detail than ever before. Moreover, they are much smaller than Fermi bubbles, which extend for about 25,000 sv. years above and below the plane of the galaxy, the authors specify. The gas is likely heated by supernova explosions and a host of recent magnetic reconnections near the galactic center.
Magnetic reconnection can create turbulence in the interstellar medium, scientists theorize, and this, in turn, triggers the formation of a new generation of stars.
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