They found a thousand mysterious threads in the center of the Milky Way

new picture for telescope meerkat From South African Radio Astronomy Observatory just revealed that there are nearly A thousand magnetic strands in the middle of our galaxy Milky WayWhich It would help unravel a long-standing mystery.

The origin of these magnetic threads On the Milky Way It is a mystery to eminent astronomers, who described this discovery as a teacher to understand these structures Made of cosmic ray electrons that move their magnetic fields at nearly the speed of light.

The study detailing this discovery in Milky Way It was first published by Northwest University and later accepted Astrophysical Journal LettersIt is a well-known scientific journal specialized in discoveries and theories about astronomy s Astrophysics.

Magnetic filaments could reveal mystery in the Milky Way

The study indicates that these magnetic threads in the middle Milky Way They are up to 150 light-years long and are found in pairs and groups, often stacked equal distances, side by side, “like the strings of a harp”.

Farhad YousefzadehProfessor of Physics and Astronomy at Northwestern UniversityHe was the first to discover this magnetic threads On the Milky Way 35 years ago by radio waves. The researcher proved that the “puzzling” threads are formed Electrons from cosmic rays orbiting the magnetic field at a speed close to the speed of light.

Now, the new image of Meerkat Telescope for Radio Astronomy Observatory in South Africa It showed ten times more filaments than previously discovered in Milky Waywhich allows Youssefzadeh He and his team are conducting statistical studies on a large number of leads for the first time.

these magnetic threads Astronomers can finally help solve a long-standing mystery in Milky Waywhich has been studied for a long time with myopia, for example YoussefzadehHe is also a member of the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics.

“Now, we finally see the big picture: a panoramic view filled with a lot of threads. Just examining a few leads makes it difficult to draw any real conclusions about what it is and where it came from. This is a milestone in improving our understanding of these structures.”

Youssefzadeh is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Northwestern University

Study “Statistical properties of galactic center filament populations: spectral index and isoelectric magnetic field”, supported by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Science Foundation. You can see it in full at this link.