A structure 200 light-years wide is delivering star-forming material to the center of the Milky Way!
No one had known about this cloud before.
On July 22, Space News in the United States published an article.
Astronomers discovered a massive gas and dust cloud that stretches an incredible 200 light-years and is hidden in a less explored area of the Milky Way.
This structure is called the Midpoint Cloud, and it is an example of a giant molecular cloud (GMC).
This structure was discovered by the team using the Green Bank Telescope.
They peeled back the Midpoint Cloud layer by layer, discovering dynamic regions that include several potential new star-forming sites and dust belts that supply material to the center of the Milky Way.
Lead scientist Natalie Bartfield said, "Before we looked at this position in the sky and found dense gas, no one knew about the existence of this molecular cloud."
"These dust belts are like hidden rivers of gas and dust that transport material to the center of our galaxy."
The team's research shows that the Midpoint Cloud is crucial for the flow of material from the disk of the Milky Way to its center.
This will promote the formation of stars in the thick bar-shaped structure at the center of our galaxy, similar dense stellar structures have been found in other barred spiral galaxies.
This means further investigations of this cloud and its surrounding areas may help reveal how the components of stars gather in the center of a galaxy.
"Star formation in the galactic bar is a bit like a puzzle," said team member Larry Morgan, an astronomer at the Green Bank Observatory. "The strong forces in these regions can actually suppress star formation."
However, the frontiers of these bar-like structures, such as the location of the Midpoint, may accumulate dense gas and trigger new star formation.
The universe is busy, and it never cares about people fighting on Earth.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1838384906590343/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.