– Scientists led by Villanova University have created a never-before-seen map of the central region of the Milky Way galaxy, revealing the relationship between magnetic fields and cold dust structures in this area.
– The map was created using data from the SOFIA telescope over 4 years and 9 flights. It shows streaks of warm pink dust, cool blue dust clouds, and yellow radio-emitting filaments.
– The dust forms the building blocks of stars and planets. Understanding its interaction with magnetic fields provides insight into how stars and galaxies form and evolve.
– The map reveals a complex relationship between magnetic fields, with orientations varying across dust clouds. This agrees with previous smaller-scale observations.
– The new data gives insights at a larger scale than before. Analyzing it could help create new models of the dynamics at the galaxy’s heart and connections to magnetic fields elsewhere in the Milky Way.
– The research improves understanding of dust-magnetic field interactions in the central engines of other galaxies as well. The team will further analyze the SOFIA data over the next 2 years.
Source: space
