(NLDO) - Scientists have just identified an interstellar tunnel connecting the constellation Centaurus and the Local Hot Bubble (LHB), where Earth belongs.
The Earth and the entire Solar System are encapsulated in an invisible but unusual cosmic structure called the LHB, a 1,000 light-year wide, low-density, unusually hot cavity at the edge of the Milky Way galaxy.
A team of researchers attempted to map this giant LHB bubble and discovered a strange interstellar tunnel.
3D map of the bubble structure that Earth belongs to (gray-blue), with the location of the Solar System (Sun) marked - Photo: MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE
In a study recently published in the scientific journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, a research team led by Dr. Michael Yeung from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (Germany) used the eROSITA X-ray telescope to explore LHB.
The researchers divided the eROSITA observations of the X-ray sky into about 2,000 sections and meticulously studied the X-ray light in each section to create a three-dimensional map of the LHB.
This revealed a lot about the bubble, from the asymmetrical way it expanded to evidence of uneven temperature distribution, confirming that the structure was built by a series of supernova explosions.
It also shows that this "bubble" is a bumpy structure, not round like a bubble, looking like an ancient creature with many spikes.
Additionally, the 3D map revealed something surprising: The bubble is not closed, but has a tunnel-like structure that extends straight to the constellation Centaurus, standing out from the colder interstellar medium around it.
We still don't know specifically what this tunnel connects to in this constellation region.
There are several large objects in that direction, including the Gum Nebula, another nearby bubble, and several molecular clouds.
It could also be a clue that the galaxy consists of a whole network of interconnected hot bubbles and tunnels between stars, an idea proposed in 1974 and still lacking much evidence.
Scientists are still working to explain this cosmic tunnel. They hope it can help explain many things about how galaxies formed.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/phat-hien-duong-ham-vu-tru-bi-an-noi-den-noi-trai-dat-tru-ngu-196241110102005316.htm
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