X-ray is a very common method that almost every individual is well aware of. However, ever wondered what an X-ray of the Milky Way would look like? Or is that even possible? Well, yes, it is. Recently, NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory has carried out an image of a recent scan, which revealed a fractured bone. As specified in Space.com, the bone-like structure, which was witnessed in the X-ray image, was derived from the radio data obtained by the MeerKAT Radio Array in South Africa and the National Science Foundation’s Very Large Array in New Mexico.
About the Cause of Fracture
According to the data obtained from Chandra’s X-ray, the fracture, also known as the galactic center filament, was caused by the impact from a pulsar. A pulsar is a spinning neutron star that emits radiation constantly at regular intervals. Revealed in Space.com, the scientists are highly skeptical about the speed of the pulsar, during slamming, would have been between one to two million miles per hour.
What is a Galactic Center Filament
Milky Way, undoubtedly, does not consist of bone. However, what looks like a real bone is a Galactic Center Filament, which is an amalgamation of structures crafted by the radio waves interwoven with the magnetic fields, right at the center of the Milky Way.
What did scientists discover?
As conveyed to Space.com, this is one of the brightest and longest galactic center filaments that have been detected so far. The distances of these filaments are 26,000 light-years and 230 light-years long. The bone has been named as G359.13142-0.20005.
The Scientist’s Verdict
Narrated to Space.com, the scientists suggest that the collision with the neutron stars would have dismantled the filament’s magnetic field, which further resulted in the fracture. The scientists are hopeful that the fracture will heal itself.
