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A huge structure has been discovered in our galaxy, but we don't know what it is

A huge structure has been discovered in our galaxy, but we don’t know what it is

It is not easy to study the galaxy from our location within the Milky Way, which is why scientists often find themselves in “difficulty” with discoveries. For example a new structure called catelIt was recently revealed. It’s a gas rich place, but We don’t know what it is yet.

The structure is so large that astronomers aren’t sure Whether it can be part of a helical arm which we haven’t noticed yet. Could it be a catel Largest filament of gas so far discovered in our galaxy It appeared in an article published in the magazine Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The question of how to produce such a large filament in the extreme galactic site remains open. Alternatively, the Cattail could be part of a new arm […] Although it is worrying that the structure does not completely follow the curvature of the galactic disk‘,” wrote a team of astronomers from Nanjing University in China in the paper.

Experts used the 500-meter aperture radio telescope (FAST). When they calculated the speed of movement of the structure, they were in for a great surprise: The speed was consistent with a distance of approximately 71,750 light years From the center of the galaxy or the outer regions of the galaxy.

It is located around Farther than any known spiral arm, With It is about 3,590 light-years long and 675 light-years wide. Later, when the insiders combined their findings with data from the HI4PI all-sky HI survey, They find that it can be even largerIt is approximately 16,300 light-years long.

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In short, a truly record-breaking structure. “While these questions remain open to existing data“Finally write to the seekers,”The observations provide new insights into our understanding of galactic structure“.