Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery about the heart of the Milky Way, finding “cosmic tornadoes” raging through the galaxy’s central region. The phenomenon, dubbed “space tornadoes,” was detected using a network of radio telescopes in Chile and reveals a complex cycle of creation and destruction at the center of our galaxy.
The researchers used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to track molecules and find long, narrow filaments of gas and dust that are unlike any known objects. These filaments are thought to be formed by “shocks” or violent streams of material that dissipate quickly, distributing materials into the environment.
The team used ALMA to observe the spectral lines of silicon monoxide, a molecule that is useful for tracing energetic rippling shockwaves. The observations revealed detailed information about the new type of filamentary structures seen in the CMZ’s molecular clouds, with features as fine as 0.033 light-years apart.
The discovery provides a more complete view of the cycle of creation and destruction at the heart of our galaxy and sheds light on how these complex processes occur. The team hopes that future ALMA observations can confirm the origin of the slim filaments and better define the cyclic processes within the Milky Way’s core region.
This study was published in February in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics and provides a significant advancement in understanding the fascinating Galactic Center landscape.
Source: https://www.space.com/the-universe/cosmic-tornadoes-rage-around-the-heart-of-the-milky-way-and-its-supermassive-black-hole