In the massive distances between galaxies, space is not entirely empty how you might believe.
It has gas and dust which are blown into the void, and all this matter eventually becomes the seed for brand new stars and galaxies as well. You may wonder where does this kind of matter come from.
Well, a brand new study reveals how the galactic winds are carrying this material away from the locations of new star creation and out into the intergalactic space.
M82 produces stars at amazing speeds
Researchers from the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) have looked at the Cigar Galaxy, also known as M82, which is famous for producing new stars at a mindblowing speed.
It seems that in this galaxy stars are born ten times faster compared to the Milky Way for instance.
The Cigar Galaxy also has strong winds which are basically streams of highly charged particles which are shooting off into space when the new stars are formed.
The ideal location to see how gas and dust are carried into the intergalactic space
This makes it the perfect location to observe how gas and dust are carried out into the intergalactic space.
The astronomers used the SOFIA flying observatory, and they were able to see the magnetic field of the Cigar Galaxy and observe how it related to the movement of the galactic winds.
Experts found that the powerful winds were able to move not only matter but also the magnetic field itself. They dragged it more than 2,000 light-years across which is pretty impressive.
“One of the main objectives of this research was to evaluate how efficiently the galactic wind can drag along the magnetic field,” Enrique Lopez-Rodriguez, a Universities Space Research Association (USRA) scientist with the SOFIA team, said in a statement as reported by Digital Trends.
He continued and said, “We did not expect to find the magnetic field to be aligned with the wind over such a large area.”
I have been blogging and posting articles for over eight years, but my passion for writing dates back in 2000. I am especially enthusiastic about technology, science, and health-related issues. When I’m not researching and writing the latest news, I’m either watching sci-fi and horror movies or checking out places worth visiting and building deep memories for later in life. I believe in empathy and continually improving myself.