A galaxy filament, which extends through 230 light years in the Milky Way, suffered from a strange kink, who distorted its magnetic field, appearing as a fracture in a massive bone. New radiographic images captured by the Chandra Observatory may have finally helped astronomers diagnose its disease, calling a quick spinning neutron star as the culprit.
The center of the galaxy is marked by huge, bone similar structures threaded with parallel magnetic fields and rotating, high-energy items. Located about 26,000 light years of the Earth, G359.13 also known as the Snake-is the longest and brightest of these structures. Despite its size, the bone-like structure appears to be struck by a fast moving, rapidly rotating neutron star, or pulsar, causing a break in the otherwise continuous length of G359.13, according to a new Paper Published in the May 2024 issue by the monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Using images of the Galaxy Bone captured by the Chandra X-ray Observatory and Radio Data Array in South Africa, the team behind the paper could examine the fracture nearby to identify the culprit. The items that make up the snake, and other galaxy filaments, emit radio waves, which can be detected by tablets like Meerkat.
The images are properly similar to medical radiographs of long, thin bone with fracture in the center. Examining the images, astronomers discovered radiograph and radio at the location of the fracture, which may be from electrons and positrons (the anti-matte equivalents to electrons), which were accelerated to high energies due to pulsar crashing in them. The Pulsar is visible in the image thanks to its radiographic emissions, which caused it to seize a red hand in its success and running.
Pulsars are the oticosa remains of stars, forming following the collapse and supernova explosion of a massive star. These explosions often send the pulsar flying with high speeds while rapidly rotating and bill electromagnetic radiation. There is a lot here, and the Pulsar doesn’t look exactly where it goes.
The researchers believe that a fast pulsar may have caused the fracture by hitting in G359.13 with speeds between one million and two million miles per hour. The likely collision distorted the magnetic field in the bone, which caused the radio signal to also warm.
The Milky Way is full of violent encounters like this, and the failed filament is just the latest sign of the ongoing chaos of the galaxy. With tools like Chandra and Meerkat, astronomers continue to capture these cosmic problems in the action.
