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02-06-2025, 05:47 PM
Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: The Central Molecular Zone, spanning 700 light-years across the heart of the galaxy, contains a majority of the dense gas in the Milky Way.
While analyzing this region with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international team of scientists discovered a slew of strange "slim filaments" unassociated with star-forming regions.
The filaments are likely part of what the researchers call "space tornadoes," which distributes material throughout the CMZ efficiently. It’s been little more than half a century since scientists first proposed that a supermassive black hole lies at the heart of the Milky Way. And in the decades since, we’ve discovered a remarkable amount about our particular corner of the universe—but there’s always more to learn.
While analyzing this region with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international team of scientists discovered a slew of strange "slim filaments" unassociated with star-forming regions.
The filaments are likely part of what the researchers call "space tornadoes," which distributes material throughout the CMZ efficiently. It’s been little more than half a century since scientists first proposed that a supermassive black hole lies at the heart of the Milky Way. And in the decades since, we’ve discovered a remarkable amount about our particular corner of the universe—but there’s always more to learn.
