Latest news with #KaiYang
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4 days ago
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Astrophysicists Discovered Strange New Objects in Our Galaxy ‘Unlike Anything Else'
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. One area that remains a particular mystery is the Central Molecular Zone, or CMZ, which stretches some 700 light-years across at the heart of the galaxy. This region contains roughly 80 percent of all dense gas in the Milky Way, which—according to the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics—accounts for about tens of millions of solar masses of material. Home to giant molecular clouds and numerous star-forming clusters, the CMZ is a swirling mystery, and there is no other place in the galaxy like it. Now, a new study—led by a team of astrophysicists drawing upon data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile—is adding another curiosity to this already head-scratching region of the galaxy: unexpected 'slim filaments' that have left astronomers guessing at their origin. Details of this surprising discovery were published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. An array of 66 radio telescopes located under the remarkably clear skies of the Chajnantor Plateau in the Atacama Desert, ALMA (as its name suggests) is particularly well suited to examining the CMZ thanks to its high angular resolution and its ability to trace certain molecules found in abundance in this region of space. Among those molecules is silicon oxide (SiO), which serves as a tracer for shockwaves in the CMZ. By tracing the spectral lines of SiO, astronomers can better understand this chaotic environment—and, as it turns out, discover previously unknown filament structures. 'SiO is currently the only molecule that exclusively traces shocks, and the SiO 5-4 rotational transition is only detectable in shocked regions that have both relatively high densities and high temperatures,' Kai Yang, lead author of the study from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said in a press statement. 'This makes it a particularly valuable tool for tracing shock-induced processes in the dense regions of the CMZ. When we checked the ALMA images showing the outflows, we noticed these long and narrow filaments spatially offset from any star-forming regions. Unlike any objects we know, these filaments really surprised us. Since then, we have been pondering what they are.' Using the SiO emission lines (along with those of eight other molecules), the astronomers confirmed that their velocities were inconsistent with outflows, show no association with dust emission, and are in hydrostatic equilibrium—a delicate balance between gravity and pressure. All these anomalous findings, packaged alongside insights like 'unlike any objects we know, ' inspire fantasies of massive alien structures hiding out in the heart of our galaxy. But the astronomers have a more science-based explanation, and it is no less mesmerizing. 'We can envision these as space tornados: they are violent streams of gas, they dissipate shortly, and they distribute materials into the environment efficiently,' Xing Lu, a co-author of the study from Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, said in a press statement. 'Our research contributes to the fascinating Galactic Center landscape by uncovering these slim filaments as an important part of material circulation.' The authors theorize that these filaments may be part of a depletion-replenishment cycle at the heart of our galaxy. First, shock waves create these filaments. Then, as these filaments dissipate, they 'refuel' shock-released material in the CMZ and freeze back into dust grains. As scientists delve deeper into the mysteries of these filaments—and if they're as widespread as this particular ALMA sample would suggest—then we may have uncovered an important cyclic process that lies at the heart of our galaxy. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Science
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Scientists Detect "Strange Filaments" at the Heart of Our Galaxy
Researchers have zoomed in on the area surrounding the supermassive black hole lurking at the center of our galaxy, and made a fascinating discovery: a structure of "strange filaments" driving a cycle of gas emissions and replenishment. As detailed in a new paper published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, the international team of astronomers used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in the Chilean desert to produce high-resolution observations of the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), a region known for continuously cycling through copious amounts of dust and gas molecules. However, how these cycles of formation and destruction actually function has largely remained a mystery. But thanks to ALMA's highly detailed map of the region, astronomers discovered a new type of filamentary structure, which reacts to shock waves rippling through the region. "When we checked the ALMA images showing the outflows, we noticed these long and narrow filaments spatially offset from any star-forming regions," said Shanghai Jiao Tong University researcher and team lead Kai Yang in a statement that described the findings as vast "alien structures." "Unlike any objects we know, these filaments really surprised us," he added. "Since then, we have been pondering what they are." The team made the discovery by tracing silicon monoxide (SiO) and eight other molecules in the region, using ALMA. Interestingly, their velocities suggest they're not associated with dust emissions. "Our research contributes to the fascinating Galactic Center landscape by uncovering these slim filaments as an important part of material circulation," said Shanghai Astronomical Observatory research professor and corresponding author Xing Lu. "We can envision these as space tornados: they are violent streams of gas, they dissipate shortly, and they distribute materials into the environment efficiently." In their paper, the researchers suggest the filaments are "associated with parsec-scale shocks, likely arising from dynamic interactions between shock waves and molecular clouds." According to their findings, these shocks bring these slim filaments to life, releasing SiO and several other complex organic molecules, including methanol, into the CMZ. They then dissipate, allowing molecules to freeze back into dust grains, restarting the cycle. The researchers are hoping that future ALMA observations could shed more light on the process to hone in on these filaments' origins. "We speculate that these slim filaments represent a distinct class from the dense gas filaments typically observed in nearby molecular clouds, and they may result from interactions between shocks and molecular clouds," the paper reads. More on the supermassive black hole: Scientists Intrigued by "Star Grinder" Pulverizing Entire Star Systems in Our Galaxy
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Science
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Astronomers Discover Space Tornadoes Circling the Black Hole at the Center of Our Galaxy
If you live in a certain part of the United States, tornadoes are an annual threat carving a trail of destruction across tornado alley. In 1996, Twister introduced the world to stormchasing, the exciting and slightly unhinged practice of chasing down tornadoes to learn more about them. Nearly 30 years later, we collectively went stormchasing once again in Twisters, a standalone sequel which upped the danger and damage, complete with fire tornadoes. If there's ever a third film in the Twister franchise, filmmakers might need to raise the stakes again. Fortunately for fans of blockbuster action, astronomers recently discovered evidence of 'space tornadoes' spinning around the black hole at the center of our galaxy, according to a study published in Astronomy & Astrophysics. Rather than using the fictional Dorothy device to measure these tornadoes from the inside, astronomers used the sensitive, high-resolution instruments at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in the Atacama Desert, Chile. The collection of 66 radio telescopes is a partnership between the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. Together, an international team of scientists observed the star-forming ring of gas and dust known as the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ). The intensity of gravitational forces around a black hole sends gas, dust, and other material spinning violently around the event horizon, sending shockwaves through the morass. The CMZ is an area of intense interest, and these observations provided a view of the galactic center 100 times sharper than ever before. In their highly detailed observations, astronomers discovered previously unseen molecular filaments spinning out from the CMZ. Consider the way that flowing water in a stream moves sand and stones of different sizes and shapes in different ways. By looking at the distribution of sediments, you can tell something about the flow of the water. Something similar happens in the gas and dust around a black hole. Different molecules are impacted by the forces around a black hole in different ways and they can be used as tracers to track different mechanisms. The newly discovered filaments are made of silicon monoxide (and eight other molecules) which are useful for detecting shockwaves. 'When we checked the ALMA images showing the outflows, we noticed these long and narrow filaments spatially offset from any star-forming regions. Unlike any objects we know, these filaments really surprised us. Since then, we have been pondering what they are,' said lead author Kai Yang, in a statement. These filaments are unlike anything astronomers have seen before and don't fit the profile of any other known type of dense gas filament, suggesting some previously unknown relationship or mechanism in the CMZ. 'Our research contributes to the fascinating Galactic Center landscape by uncovering these slim filaments as an important part of material circulation. We can envision these as space tornados: they are violent streams of gas, they dissipate shortly, and they distribute materials into the environment efficiently', said corresponding author Xing Lu. The filaments also suggest the existence of a cyclical material circulation process. First, shocks create filaments, releasing silicon monoxide and other complex molecules into the interstellar medium. Eventually, the filaments dissipate, the molecules freeze into dust grains, and the cycle starts over again. Researchers hope that future observations will not only confirm the existence of these filaments in the CMZ but will also help to uncover their origin and influence on the galactic core. Before we head to space for a third installment, check out !
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Science
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Giant 'Space Tornadoes' Discovered Raging in Milky Way's Turbulent Heart
In the absolute omnishambles of the Milky Way galactic center, we've just found a new kind of turbulent structure. Peering into the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) that surrounds the galactic supermassive black hole, astronomers have identified long, thin filaments of gas, near outflows of material. Filaments have been identified around the galactic center previously, but these new ones are unlike any other filaments ever seen. After puzzlement, then analysis, a team of astronomers led by Kai Yang of Shanghai Jiao Tong University has determined that they represent a never-before-seen mechanism for the dispersal of gas throughout the CMZ – a kind of cosmic tornado. "When we checked the ALMA images showing the outflows, we noticed these long and narrow filaments spatially offset from any star-forming regions," Yang says. "Unlike any objects we know, these filaments really surprised us." The CMZ is a region of clouds rich in dust and molecular gas that roils around the galactic nucleus. It measures up to 2,000 light-years across, and it's dense. It contains nearly 80 percent of all the dense gas in the galaxy, and around 5 percent of all the galaxy's molecular gas. As you can imagine, all this densely packed material makes for a bit of a wild environment, with clouds slamming through space at up to 100 kilometers per second. Shock fronts and turbulence are common. Clouds form, break apart, and reform in an endless cycle. It's not clear what drives this process, but the CMZ is kind of hard to study. Because the clouds therein are so dense, it can be a little tricky to peer into their midst. Yang and colleagues used the powerful Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile to try to shed some light on the dynamic processes at play in the CMZ. They were specifically looking for traces of silicon monoxide, a gas whose presence is particularly useful in tracing and delineating shocks. They weren't expecting what they found, though: very long, narrow filaments traced out in silicon monoxide at a finer scale than other filaments found in the CMZ. The research team named these structures "slim filaments," and set about analyzing them in greater detail. In addition to silicon monoxide, the slim filaments contain the complex organic molecules cyclopropenylidene, formaldehyde, cyanoacetylene, methanol, isocyanic acid, sulfur monoxide, and acetonitrile. In addition, their velocity distributions are inconsistent with measurements of other kinds of filaments, and they are dominated by turbulent pressure. This suggests that the structures may be a little bit like tornadoes, or dust devils, and perform a similar role. "Our research contributes to the fascinating Galactic Center landscape by uncovering these slim filaments as an important part of material circulation," says astronomer Xing Lu of Shanghai Astronomical Observatory in China. "We can envision these as space tornadoes: they are violent streams of gas, they dissipate shortly, and they distribute materials into the environment efficiently." Although how the slim filaments form is unclear, the researchers believe that shock plays a role in their genesis. Shocks generated by collisions in the CMZ may give rise to filaments of turbulence that heat complex molecules into their gas phase and release them into the interstellar medium. As they cool, these molecules revert to dust, replenishing the CMZ and redistributing its material. If the filaments are as abundant throughout the CMZ as the researchers found them in their observation sample, they would explain a large part of the recycling rate of the region. "We speculate that these slim filaments represent a distinct class from the dense gas filaments typically observed in nearby molecular clouds, and they may result from interactions between shocks and molecular clouds," the researchers write in their paper. "Their eventual dissipation within 10,000 years may enrich silicon monoxide and several complex organic molecules in the interstellar medium, thus leading to the observed widespread emission of silicon monoxide and complex organic molecules in the CMZ." The research has been published in Astronomy & Astrophysics. First-Ever Images of Neptune's Eerie Glow Finally Reveal Missing Aurora Toxic Mars Dust Could Pose Major Health Risks For Future Astronauts Stunning Swirl in Europe's Skies Caused by Classified Space X Mission
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Science
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'Unlike any objects we know': Scientists get their best-ever view of 'space tornadoes' howling at the Milky Way's center
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. "Space tornadoes" are swirling near the supermassive black hole at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy, new telescope observations have revealed in unprecedented detail. Astronomers recently zoomed in on the cosmic twisters using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile. Although these rotating structures had been seen previously, the new observations with ALMA are 100 times sharper than the earlier views, the team reported in a new paper published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. The researchers began by pointing ALMA at a region of the galaxy known as the central molecular zone (CMZ), which surrounds our galaxy's core supermassive black hole and is filled with seething clouds of dust and gas. The team wanted to uncover the mechanism driving the relentless motion of these clouds. Related: High-school student accidentally discovers black hole 'light echo' twice as wide as the Milky Way They used ALMA to trace certain molecular compounds — such as silicon monoxide, which is particularly good at revealing shock waves — within the maelstrom. This allowed the team to detect previously unseen details in the cosmic dust storms — including a new type of long, slender filament that seems to form when shock waves ripple past. "Unlike any objects we know, these filaments really surprised us," because they appear to move quickly and in a direction counter to the structures surrounding them, Kai Yang, an astronomer at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and lead author of the study, said in a statement. The researchers describe these filaments as space tornadoes. "They are violent streams of gas, they dissipate quickly, and they distribute materials into the environment efficiently," the authors said in the statement. The team's observations suggest that, in addition to emitting silicon oxide, these whirlwinds might disperse complex organic molecules — such as methanol, methyl cyanide and cyanoacetylene — throughout the CMZ and beyond. RELATED STORIES —'Extremely Large Telescope' being built in Chile could detect signs of alien life in a single night —'Potentially hazardous' pyramid-size asteroid will make its closest flyby of Earth for more than 100 years this Wednesday —Stephen Hawking's black hole theory has big implications for the shape of the universe, new study claims "ALMA's high angular resolution and extraordinary sensitivity were essential to detect these molecular line emission associated with the slim filaments, and to confirm that there is no associations between these structures with dust emissions," Yichen Zhang, an astrophysicist at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and a co-author of the paper, said in a statement. Further observations with ALMA will help the researchers determine how widespread these slim filaments are within the CMZ and how they contribute to molecular cycling in the region.
