Milky Way

Latest about Milky Way

A map shows the direction of magnetic fields in the G47 bone overlain atop an image of the G47 filament as seen by the Herschel Space Observatory. The red and yellow areas are high-density regions of dust and gas.

Galactic bones inside Milky Way's skeleton are a magnetic mess

By Harry Baker published

Astronomers have created the most detailed map yet of the magnetic field within one of the Milky Way's galactic bones.

Cosmology
Artist's concept of the European Space Agency's Gaia spacecraft mapping stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

The Milky Way's 'thick disk' is 2 billion years older than scientists thought

By Brandon Specktor published

Astronomers have found that part of the MIlky Way known as the thick disk is about 2 billion years older than expected, forming just 0.8 billion years after the Big Bang.

Cosmology
Images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ground-based optical telescopes show a filament of matter and antimatter extending from a pulsar.

NASA caught a dead star spewing antimatter across space in dazzling new image

By Mindy Weisberger published

A relatively small pulsar (a dense, collapsed and rapidly-spinning star) belched out a giant filament containing matter and antimatter particles that streamed for trillions of miles.

Astronomy
In this illustration, the eight major planets of the solar system are shown orbiting the sun.

The solar system: Facts about our cosmic neighborhood

By Sarah Wild, Adam Mann published

Take a journey through our solar system, including a stop at the non-planet Pluto.

Astronomy
Three galaxies collide in this stunning new Hubble image.

Three galaxies are tearing each other apart in stunning new Hubble telescope image

By Brandon Specktor published

A Hubble Space Telescope image shows a stunning triple galaxy merger in the constellation Cancer.

Cosmology
A mosaic image of the enter of the Milky Way in radio waves. The filaments are the vertical slashes throughout the image.

Astronomers discover 1,000 strange 'filaments' of radio energy bursting from the galaxy's center

By Brandon Specktor published

Researchers discovered nearly 1,000 mysterious 'filaments' of radio energy bursting from the Milky Way's center. Their origin remains unknown.

Cosmology
An illustration of what the powerful, flashign object might look like.

Astronomers detect powerful cosmic object unlike anything they've seen before

By Brandon Specktor published

Researchers have detected a rare type of stellar object that blasts powerful radio waves toward Earth three times an hour. It may be a new class of dead star.

Cosmology
An artist's representation of the MIlky Way surrounded by shredded stellar streams

Shredded 'stellar streams' could lead to the Milky Way's missing dark matter

By Brandon Specktor published

Astronomers mapped 12 stellar streams, which could lead to the Milky Way's missing dark matter.

Dark Matter
Artist's illustration of the Local Bubble with the sun's location in the center and star formation occurring on the bubble's surface.

Earth is at the center of a 1,000-light-year-wide 'Swiss cheese' bubble carved out by supernovas

By Harry Baker published

A new study into the Local Bubble, a cosmic void surrounding Earth, has mapped out the star-forming regions on the bubble's surface and uncovered more information about its explosive birth.

Astronomy
This image shows a section of the side view of the Milky Way as measured by ESA’s Gaia satellite. The dark band consists of gas and dust, which dims the light from the embedded stars. The Galactic Centre of the Milky Way is indicated on the right of the image, shining brightly below the dark zone. The box to the left of the middle marks the location of the “Maggie” gas cloud.

Bizarre cloud of gas is one of the longest structures in the Milky Way

By Harry Baker published

Astronomers have discovered a cloud of atomic hydrogen more than 3,900 light-years long, known as "Maggie," in the Milky Way.

Cosmology
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