Produced by: Tarun Mishra
Scientists have uncovered a significant finding within the Local Hot Bubble (LHB), a vast low-density structure that our solar system occupies. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) have discovered an interstellar tunnel leading toward Centaurus, potentially linking our solar system to other regions of the galaxy.
Credit: Michael Yeung/MPE
The LHB, thought to have been created by several supernova explosions millions of years ago, spans at least 1,000 light-years. While the temperature inside the bubble reaches a million degrees, its sparse atomic makeup prevents the heat from affecting objects inside it, including our solar system.
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The breakthrough was made using the eROSITA, a powerful X-ray telescope launched aboard a space observatory 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. The telescope allowed the team to map the LHB in unprecedented detail, revealing surprising features about its structure.
Credit: DLR
Astrophysicists Michael Yeung and Michael Freyberg led the research, dividing the sky into 2,000 sections for analysis. They found that the LHB is not spherical as previously believed, but rather more perpendicular to the galactic plane and shaped like a bipolar nebula.
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During the mapping, the team discovered an unexpected interstellar tunnel leading toward Centaurus. This tunnel cuts through the cooler interstellar medium, revealing a gap previously unknown to scientists.
The discovery supports a 1974 theory suggesting that our galaxy is interconnected by a series of hot bubbles and tunnels. While there had been no prior evidence for such a network, this new finding strengthens the hypothesis and suggests that similar structures may exist throughout the Milky Way.
The tunnel might act as a conduit linking the LHB to other regions, such as the Gum Nebula. The researchers’ model indicates that the northern part of the tunnel is hotter than the southern, suggesting that recent supernova events could have heated parts of the bubble.
The discovery of the interstellar tunnel towards Centaurus offers valuable insight into the structure and history of our galaxy. Scientists hope this finding will lead to further understanding of the Milky Way's formation and evolution.