The sky at night. It inspires awe. It inspires thoughts of an existential nature: Who are we? Why are we here? And, perhaps most importantly of all, in which direction should I roll this big ball of shit? That is, if you’re a dung beetle. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to …
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IN A NUTSHELL 🌌 Scientists have discovered the Midpoint Cloud, a massive structure within the Milky Way spanning 650 trillion miles. 🔭 The Green Bank Telescope played a crucial role in identifying this Giant Molecular Cloud, highlighting advanced telescopic technologies. 💫 The Midpoint Cloud contains dense gas clumps and masers, indicating active star formation processes. 🚀 This discovery offers new …
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Recently, the Chilean night sky was illuminated by the glow of the Milky Way galaxy as it was seen above the domes of telescopes at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a facility of the National Science Foundation‘s (NSF) NOIRLab. What is it? A cone of zodiacal light intersects the iconic Milky Way, creating an x-shape in the night sky. …
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In recent groundbreaking research published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, scientists from the University of Queensland have provided insights into the likely fate of our galaxy, the Milky Way. This study, led by Dr. Sarah Sweet and part of the larger Delegate survey, investigates the future merger between the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy, along with …
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A recent discovery sheds light on a bizarre phenomenon at the center of our Milky Way: the detection of cold hydrogen clouds embedded within the superheated Fermi bubbles, vast structures of gas and cosmic rays that have been towering over the galactic center for millions of years. The unexpected nature of these clouds suggests a much more recent and violent …
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Astronomers have identified a vast, previously unknown structure in our galaxy that could change how scientists understand star formation and the flow of matter in the Milky Way. Known as the Midpoint cloud, this enormous giant molecular cloud spans roughly 200 light-years, or about 650 trillion miles, and appears to serve as a major conduit feeding material from the galaxy’s …
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“We Were Never Supposed to See This”: Astronomer’s Shocking Claim About 200-Light-Year-Wide Structure Feeding the Milky Way’s Core Rude Baguette This 200-light-year-wide structure could be feeding our galaxy’s center: ‘No one had any idea this cloud existed’ Space A hidden molecular cloud near our Milky Way’s center EarthSky Astronomers find giant hidden molecular cloud fueling star birth in Milky Way Phys.org A giant molecular …
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Head away from city lights in late July to see the dense core of the Milky Way arcing towards the southwestern horizon against a blissfully dark sky as the waning lunar disk approaches its new moon phase. Our solar system orbits within a 100,000-light-year-wide spiral galaxy known as the Milky Way. On clear nights under dark skies, we can see …
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In the center of our galaxy, gigantic, balloon-like structures of high-energy radiation extend thousands of light-years above and below the Milky Way’s plane. Known as the Fermi bubbles, the massive lobes may have been the result of a violent outburst in our galaxy’s recent past. A new discovery of cold hydrogen clouds embedded inside the bubbles adds another level of …
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In April, when Yellowstone National Park geologists made their first visit this year to the Norris Geyser Basin, they encountered a new feature they hadn’t seen before. They were checking the area’s temperature logging stations, a routine maintenance job – but since their last visit, something was different. Where previously there had been a rather featureless patch of ground at …
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