Previously Undetected Feature , of Milky Way Galaxy , Discovered by Astronomers.
A group of young stars and star-forming gas clouds has been found protruding from the Milky Way's Sagittarius Arm.
It was discovered using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope in conjunction with data from the European Space Agency's Gaia mission.
The structure extends roughly 3,000 light-years out from the spiral arm.
It features the Eagle Nebula,
the Omega Nebula, the Trifid Nebula and the Lagoon Nebula.
It features the Eagle Nebula,
the Omega Nebula, the Trifid Nebula and the Lagoon Nebula.
It features the Eagle Nebula,
the Omega Nebula, the Trifid Nebula and the Lagoon Nebula.
It features the Eagle Nebula,
the Omega Nebula, the Trifid Nebula and the Lagoon Nebula.
According to Michael Kuhn, an astrophysicist at Caltech and lead study author.
how tightly spiral arms wind
around a galaxy is a key property.
Most models of the Milky Way suggest that the Sagittarius Arm forms a spiral that has a pitch angle of about 12 degrees, but the structure we examined really stands out at an angle of nearly 60 degrees, Michael Kuhn, an astrophysicist at Caltech
and lead study author, via statement.
Similar structures have been spotted in other galaxies,
but determining such things about the Milky Way
is difficult considering Earth's position within it.
It’s akin to standing in the middle of Times Square and trying to draw a map of the island of Manhattan, NASA, via its write-up about the study.
This structure is a small piece of the Milky Way, but it could tell us something significant about the galaxy as a whole, Robert Benjamin, study co-author, via statement