Deep in the galaxy’s central molecular zone (CMZ), surrounding the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way’s center, clouds of dust and gas swirl amid energetic shock waves.

Now, a collaboration of international astronomers – using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) – has greatly sharpened our view of these processes by a factor of 100.

The team has uncovered an unexpected class of long, narrow filaments within this turbulent region, giving fresh insight into the cyclical formation and destruction of material in the CMZ.