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Scientists have discovered a gigantic hole blown out of the Milky Way and believe a powerful supernova 10 million years ago could be to blame.
The gap, or “cavity” as astronomers describe it, was described this week in an article published this week in The Astrophysical Journal Letters as a spherical void cut out of the molecular clouds of Perseus and Taurus and extends nearly 500 light years across.
“We have two theories: Either a supernova was triggered in the heart of this bubble and pushed the gas outward to form what we now call the ‘Perseus-Taurus supercoque’,” said lead author Shmuel. Bialy, a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Theory and Computing at the Center for Astrophysics (CfA) at Harvard, “where a series of supernovae occurring over millions of years has created it over time.”
“Hundreds of stars are forming or already exist on the surface of this giant bubble,” Bialy added.
Incredibly, what we have long considered to be two independent structures – the molecular clouds of Perseus and Taurus, located in the region of the sky marked by the constellations of Perseus and Taurus – might in fact be one. and the same, 10 million years ago. years ago, but was literally torn in two by the cosmic explosion.
The vacuum was discovered after astronomers created a 3D map of this region of space using data collected from Gaia, a space telescope launched by the European Space Agency, to study the two clouds Molecules for the first time in three-dimensional space. Until now, molecular clouds could only be seen in two dimensions, limiting what we could know about their position, size and other characteristics.
“We could see these clouds for decades, but we never knew their true shape, depth or thickness. We also didn’t know how far away the clouds were,” said Catherine Zucker, postdoctoral researcher at CfA who led a separate study in The Astrophysical Journal that describes the process of 3D mapping. “Now we know where they are with only 1% uncertainty, which allows us to discern this void between them.
Analysis: the universe is a vast and violent place
Molecular clouds like the ones the research teams were studying when they discovered this massive wound in the Milky Way are responsible for the formation of all the stars in the sky.
As our colleagues at Space.com explain, these insanely large clouds are full of hydrogen, helium, and a bunch of other elements that make up stars, planets, moons, and other objects. of a solar system, which form inside like these. the elements come together by gravity.
Blowing a hole 500 light years away in one of them is an awe-inspiring feat, demonstrating the equally unfathomable power of a supernova, that last energetic blast of a dying star. These explosions also reinject their matter into the universe in the form of new molecular clouds to start the cycle of creation and destruction in the universe again.
Whether it’s a single gargantuan explosion or many smaller ones over time, it reminds us that as powerful as all of our bombs put together, they are nothing compared to the raw power of the natural world.
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