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Jan 12, 2023

Astronomers mapped the magnetic field of the space bubble surrounding us

Posted by in category: cosmology

“Putting together this 3D map of the Local Bubble will help us examine superbubbles in new ways.”

Did you know that we live in a bubble? Sure, some of us do, but we’re talking about another one. An enormous 1,000-light-year-wide “superbubble” called the Local Bubble. Astronomers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) have now unveiled a first-of-its-kind map that reveals the bubble’s magnetic field.

Sounds incredibly fascinating.

Many of us might not have heard of superbubbles before. The Local Bubble isn’t the only one.


Theo O’Neill and the Milkyway3d.org team.

Many of us might not have heard of superbubbles before. The Local Bubble isn’t the only one. In fact, like a hunk of “Swiss cheese,” our galaxy is filled with these so-called superbubbles that are the remnants of explosive supernova deaths of massive stars. Gas and dust are formed on the bubbles’ outer surfaces, and these, in turn, serve as birthing sites for subsequent star and planet formation.

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